


Cherokee Rose Ranch

by brightlikeloulou



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Animals, Bisexual Rick Grimes, Coming Out, Daryl loves his ranch and animals, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, Gay Daryl Dixon, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Rancher Daryl Dixon, Rick & Carl have a great relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-09-25 18:24:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17126468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightlikeloulou/pseuds/brightlikeloulou
Summary: After his ex-wife died during childbirth, Rick was left with no custody agreements that kept him and his son in Atlanta.Ever since he was shot during his line of work three months previous, Rick had wanted to leave Atlanta, he wanted somewhere more peaceful for him to raise his son. It seemed to be sheer luck when he ran into an old high school friend at a coffee shop, and she told him that her friend, Daryl, owned a ranch and was in need of a new ranch hand.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What's this? Another fic? Wow.

It had been a month since Lori had passed.

It had been a shock to everyone, Lori's pregnancy had been smooth right up until she had gone into labour. The baby wasn't too big or too small, grew at a steady pace, Lori did everything right, she didn't eat foods she wasn't supposed to, she didn't drink or smoke.

Rick hadn't been involved in Lori's pregnancy, after all, it wasn't his child. It was Shane's his supposed best friend, who Lori had been having an affair with for almost two years. Rick and Lori hadn't loved each other for a long time, having been together since they were sixteen, they just grew apart, but Rick had thought that they were staying together for Carl's sake, that they would keep pretending.

As soon as Lori had told Rick she was pregnant, he immediately knew something was wrong because he and Lori hadn't been together sexually in close to six months. He asked, and she told him, her and Shane had been having sex for a long time and had fallen in love.

Rick had immediately said that he wanted a divorce, and Lori was happy to oblige. It took months for their divorce to be settled because Lori was unreasonable when it came to custody of Carl, though Rick would have hated it, the fairest thing was to have fifty-fifty custody. Lori however, believed that Carl needed to be with her and Shane a majority of the time, Rick only being able to see him every second weekend.

That had broken Rick's heart, that the woman he had been married to for so many years, was trying to steal his son from him.

By the time their custody case was settled, Rick still was not happy with what he had been given. He was only given custody of Carl on weekends, which meant that Lori got him five days a week, and Rick only got him two days. Along with that, Rick had also lost the house in the divorce and had been forced to move into a small two-bedroom apartment.

Three months previous, Rick had been shot while on duty as the Sheriff's Deputy. It had put things in perspective for him, and the job he had once loved, made him miserable. Even though he was on desk duty, he was terrified that something like that would happen again, and he wouldn't be around for his son. Sure, Carl was fifteen and didn't need him as much as he once used to when he was younger, but Rick couldn't let him grow up without his father. Rick had quit that job and had been working as a waiter since while he looked for something that could be more permanent.

Lori's plan of getting Carl all to herself had backfired, Carl was already furious at her for having been unfaithful to Rick, but then she had tried to take him away from him completely, Carl had straight up asked for Rick to be given full custody. Lori had been livid at that and accused Rick of shoving lies into Carl's head, which he had not done.

Despite all of the drama, they had both been up upset when Lori had died. She and Rick had been a part of each other's life's for a long time, and she was Carl's mother. They both took some time to get over it, Rick had given Carl all the time of school he needed and even though he didn't have a lot of money, got the teenager a therapist who he saw every week.

Lori and Shane's daughter, Judith, had survived, and Shane despite his overwhelming grief over losing his partner, had decided to keep the baby and attempt to raise her. Rick honestly, had no idea how it would go, but with Lori gone, he had been given full custody of Carl, and that's what he put all of his focus on.

Rick watched as Carl walked through the gates of his high school, he had been able to drop him off at school every day now that he worked at the restaurant and started work later, and his day off was even that day. Carl had been back at school for a week, and was slowly, very slowly, cheering up and beginning to act like his old self again. He had, however, admitted to Rick that he hated how everyone looked at him with faces full of pity.

Rick watched Carl until he couldn't see him anymore, and sighing heavily, he put his car back in drive and began to make his way out of the high school parking lot and back onto the main road. He was so short on money due to Carl's therapy sessions and his rent that he wasn't even able to afford a coffee maker for his apartment, so he went to a little café that was just by the high school to get himself one.

He parked along the street and grabbed both his wallet and phone before hopping out of the car and making his way to the little shop. The doorbell dinged as he pushed it open and stepped inside, and it was only eight am, but the place was already crowded, and he had to cue up to be able to order.

He ordered himself a mocha with one sugar, along with a croissant, and then took a number and a seat and waited for it to be brought to him. Usually, he'd just get a takeaway and head back home for a few hours, but that day, for whatever reason, he decided to stay.

He pulled out his phone as he waited, and aimlessly scrolled through his Facebook feed, watching a video or liking a photo every now and then.

After a few minutes, a mug was placed down in front of him, and a small plate with his croissant on top of its shiny pale blue surface.

"Here you go," The perky waitress said as she placed the items down, and he smiled his thanks at her as he reached for his mug of coffee and brought it to his lips.

He continued his scrolling as he drank his hot drink and munched on his warm croissant for several minutes before he realised that a pair of boots had stopped right by his table. He looked up, and was greeted by the sight of a petite woman, she wore jeans and a blue plaid shirt, she had shoulder length curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes. She looked familiar.

"Rick Grimes?" The woman asked, a soft smile on her lips.

Rick nodded, "Yes, that's me," He replied, desperately trying to dig through his brain as to who the woman in front of him was.

"Carol Peletier," She said, and within seconds, Rick had placed her, "No worries, it's been almost two decades,"

Rick smiled and shook his head, "I'm sorry, as soon as I said your name I recognized you," He said and stood up from his booth seat, and wrapped the woman up in a hug.

Carol laughed softly, "It's great to see you, been a long time since we were lab partners, eh?"

They broke away from the hug, "A long time, high school seems like just a distant memory now," He replied, and then retook his seat, realizing that Carol held a number in her hand, he motioned for her to sit down, "Join me for breakfast?"

"Sure," She replied and took a seat.

"How have things been?" He asked and took another sip of his coffee.

"Oh, they're great. I got remarried, to a man named Ezekiel. I've got two lovely kids, Sophia and Henry. Live in a great town just outside of Athens,"

Rick smiled at her, the two of them had been close in their last year of high school but had drifted apart after they had both graduated. He was glad to hear that things had worked out well for her.

"Sounds like a good life," he said.

She smiled at him, "It definitely is. How about you?"

Rick sighed and crossed one of his legs over the other under the booth table, "Well, I live here in Atlanta. I have a son, Carl, and I'm sure that you heard about Lori," He said, and she nodded sadly, "We had gotten divorced, she was having an affair with Shane of all people,"

Carol winced, and the two of them paused briefly as she was handed her own mug of coffee from another waitress, "I heard about that too, it's all awful, I'm sorry,"

Rick shrugged, "It's okay,"

"You're a cop, yes?" She said, quirking a brow at him as she sipped her coffee.

"I was, I resigned a few months ago after I got shot," Rick replied, and as he spoke, he realized that his life sounded pretty depressing at the moment.

"Oh wow, that I hadn't heard about. Was it serious?"

"I was in a coma for a few weeks, but I recovered okay. It just put things in perspective, you know? I want to be around for Carl, I don't want him to grow up without me,"

Carol nodded, "That's understandable. We want the best for our children. How's he doing after everything?"

"He's definitely getting better, he still has his moments. I'd love to get a fresh start, you know? So much has happened the past year, he lost his eye to a rare cancer, has to wear a patch. I nearly died, and then me and Lori split up and got divorced, and then she passed away," He said, and his heart ached for his son as he spoke, "I just… Nothing good seems to be happening here for us, I'm just trying to think of what's best for him,"

Carol nodded, and a look of thought overcome her face, and Rick quirked his brow at her curiously, "You thinking of moving?" She asked.

Rick nodded, "Yeah, me and Carl have talked about it a bit, he seems interested. It's the struggle of finding a job, a school, a place to live,"

"I could solve all of your problems, Rick," Carol replied, a cheeky grin on her face.

"How so?" He asked curiously, finishing the last of his croissant.

"So, I have a friend, Daryl," She began, "He owns his own ranch, and is desperately in need of a new ranch hand. He lives in the same town I do, his property is about twenty minutes out of the main area of town. The job is good money, and he's a great boss, so I hear. I know you have experience, and you'd be more than qualified for the job,"

Rick chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought the woman's words over, "Schools?"

"They're all great, Henry and Sophia love theirs, and Carl would have friends in them,"

Rick rubbed a hand over his stubble, "Is there any apartments in town? I cannot afford anything more than a small two bedroom,"

Carol nodded, "There's a few in town, but your cheapest option would be at the ranch. Daryl built an apartment over the barn, two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, dining area, and all that, it's great,"

And it did sound great. Living out in the country, working on a ranch, Rick had loved working on his grandparent's farm back when he was younger. It sounded like a great opportunity, getting away from the craziness of the city and their pasts, Carl and Rick being able to start again. Neither of them really had anything left for them here since Lori had passed. Sure, Carl had friends, but he had admitted to Rick that they had grown apart the past year and he wasn't really close with anyone anymore. He had also expressed that he had felt a bit like an outsider since he'd lost his eye and was even bullied by some of the other students because of it. That had made Rick's blood boil because how dare someone hurt his precious child.

He was quiet for several long moments before he nodded softly, "I'll definitely talk to Carl about it, see what he thinks,"

Carol smiled widely, "Great!" She exclaimed, and Rick watched for several moments as she dug around in her pocket before she pulled out her phone, "Here, put in your number so you can let me know,"

Rick nodded and took the phone from her, and placed his number in it, and then sent himself a text so that he would also have her number.

"Thank you, Carol," He said as he handed her phone back, a small but genuine smile on his lips, "Really,"

"No problem, I'd be helping Daryl out just as much as you,"

The two of them remained in the booth as they finished their coffee, chatting pleasantly when they did, and then hugging each other goodbye when they finished.

 

* * *

 

Rick tapped his fingers against the wheel as he looked out at the building in front of him. It was the afternoon, and he had just heard the bell ring, meaning that Carl should be coming out of the school at any minute.

It took a few minutes, but he eventually spotted his boy making his way out of the main gates. His head was bowed to the ground, and he had his hands shoved in his pockets as he made his way to where Rick had parked his black SUV.

"Hey," Rick said once the boy had opened the car door and began climbing onto the passenger seat.

"Hi," Carl replied, throwing his backpack onto the back seats, and then giving Rick a small smile.

Rick smiled back, and began to reverse out of his park, "How was school?" He asked.

Carl shrugged, "Alright, one kid punched another at lunch, that was interesting,"

Rick quirked his brow, "Seems like it might have been an eventful day," He said, and Carl hummed softly. Rick watched him for a few moments, and then sighed, "I need to talk to you about something, okay?"

Carl looked over at him curiously, "Okay," He said softly.

"I ran into an old friend from high school today, and she told me about a job opportunity, a few hours from here, just outside of Athens,"

"What's the job?" Carl asked, relaxing back into his seat.

"I'd be a ranch hand,"

"That sounds cool, so we'd be in the country?" Carl asked, a slightness of excitement in his voice.

Rick nodded, "Yes, along those lines. I'm quite excited about this, I think it could be good for us. But, we would have to move about two hours away, and I want to know if you're okay with that?"

Carl sighed heavily and looked over at him. His long hair falling in front of his eye patch, "Yeah. I'd much prefer to be in the country than the city. I don't like it here,"

Rick looked at him sadly, "Well, don't get too excited, I'd have to go on an interview and see if the ranch's owner would even like to hire me,"

Carl nodded, "Okay, we'll wait and see then,"

"Yeah, we'll wait and see,"

 

* * *

 

A week later, again on his day off, Rick had dropped Carl off to school, gotten himself a coffee at the same café he had met Carol in, and then began on the two-hour drive to the ranch.

He had called Carol a few days after he had spoken to Carl, he wanted to give the two of them some time to think about it and make it was something they did both want to do. After determining that it was, Rick got in contact with Carol and arranged a day and time that he could get down to the ranch for an interview.

It took Rick just over two hours to get to the ranch, there had been traffic getting out of Atlanta, and he was stressing a bit as he was almost twenty minutes late. He looked up at the wooden archway as he came to the entrance of the property. It was dark brown wood, with _Cherokee Rose Ranch_ , engraved into it, and the engravement was painted white so that it could be read. There was a fence on each side of the archway, and it ran down both sides of the road, under the archway was a cattle grate, and beyond the fence was lush green pastures that stretched for miles.

He drove up the graveled road not slowly, but carefully, looking out at the scenery as he did. After a while, he spotted a heard of Hereford cattle off in the distance, a few looked up at the sound of his car, but most seemed used to it and continued grazing.

He went around a bend in the road and over a small hill and was finally able to see what appeared to be the main area of the ranch about two hundred meters away. He could make out several buildings, and more fenced off pastures, all of different sizes. The area with all of the structures was fenced off, and Rick had to go over another cattle grate.

He drove a little faster, remembering that he was late.

He parked by the first building he came to and quickly grabbed his phone and resume before getting out. Within seconds, he was approached by a woman coming out of the barn.

"Hello," He greeted and took a few steps towards her.

"Hi," She replied warmly and held out her hand for Rick to shake, which he did.

She was a pretty woman, looked to be in her mid-twenties or so with shoulder length brown hair that had a slight wave to it. She wore jeans, boots, and a black tank top that was covered in dirt.

"I'm Rick Grimes, here for the interview," He said as he let go of her warm hand.

"Maggie Greene," She replied, "I'll be your fellow ranch hand provided everything goes well,"

Rick smiled, "Is there any others? Or would it be just us?" He asked curiously.

"There's a couple of part-time workers. But, me and Daryl are full time and here every day. It's a big property with lots of livestock, he needs another pair of hands, and that's why you're here,"

Rick nodded, "Alright, are you interviewing me, or is he?" He asked, looking around for any sign of a man.

Maggie smiled and took a few steps back, "He is, he's in the hayloft, I think, you wait here, and I'll go and check,"

Rick nodded and leaned back against his car. He looked around as he waited. He had parked by the barn, it was classic looking, painted red with big sliding doors. Beside the barn, appeared to be a storage shed of some sort, it was also painted red.

Behind where Rick had parked, was another building. It was longer than the barn, but not as tall. Rick wasn't sure what it was from where he stood. Beside the building, was a very large arena, show-jumps to complete it. Next to the arena, was a round yard. Rick wondered if horse training was a big part of the ranch. Facing the road, was what appeared to be the house. It was reasonably large, with a porch, and a pretty garden around it. There were several other structures around, be he couldn't make out what they were.

He could see horses and cattle grazing in the paddocks, chickens were scattered around on the grass and pecking away at whatever they fancied. There were even three goats jumping around on some old containers. Rick already liked it.

He waited a few more moments until he was met with the sound of footsteps against gravel. He looked towards the barn, and his eyes landed upon a man that he guessed must be Daryl. He swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat as he looked at the man, the very gorgeous man.

He was around Rick's height and wearing dirty blue jeans, boots, and a sleeveless black button up that left his gorgeous arms to exposed to Rick's eyes.

The man held his hand out when he got close, and Rick grasped it in his own.

"Daryl Dixon," The man said.

Now that he was closer and could mostly see behind the man's dark bangs, he could see that his eyes were a beautiful shade of blue.

"Rick Grimes," He replied, offering a soft smile, "I'm sorry that I'm late, there was more traffic getting out of Atlanta than I expected,"

Daryl shook his head, "No worries. You're here now," he said, and then turned around, "The office is through here," He told him and began making his way into the barn, and Rick immediately followed behind him.

The floor to the barn was concrete, and most of the interior was made up of rustic wood. The natural light it got from both sliding doors at the front and back, and all of the windows, made it appear pretty, aesthetically pleasing. On the left side of the barn, were the boxes. They were large and filled with straw bedding and feed and water bins on both sides. There appeared to be eight stalls on the left side, and then another three on the right before there were three normal doors.

Most of the boxes were empty, but there was a lazy looking donkey in one, and a cow in another at the very end of the barn. He watched it for a few seconds and then noticed the sleeping dog just by the door. It appeared to be a Border Collie by its thick white and black coat.

Daryl came to a stop by the first of the doors, "You've had a bit of a drive, this is the bathroom if you need it?" He asked, motioning to the slightly ajar wooden door.

"Oh, yeah, that would be great, thanks," Rick said, he wasn't in immediate need of a bathroom, but the pressure was building in his bladder. He held out the resume in his hand, "You could read it while you wait if that suits?"

Daryl nodded and took the paper from him, a small turn of his lips as he did, "Office is this one, come in when you're done," Daryl informed him and stepped into the second door.

Rick entered the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised. It was cleaner than he had expected. A white toilet against one wall, a small shower beside it, and a small vanity and sink below the mirror. He guessed the shower must be for workers who got particularly dirty on some days and didn't want to make their cars suffer.

He quickly used the toilet, washed his hands, and then checked himself in the mirror. Daryl was gorgeous, and Rick wanted to make sure that he looked good too.

He hadn't explored much with his sexuality since he and Lori had divorced. He had known he was bisexual for years, but he had remained faithful to Lori and had never cheated on her. The most he did while married, was watch and jerk off to gay porn.

Since they had split, he had gone out to a couple of gay bars and met a couple of guys. He'd had several one-night stands and found that he enjoyed sex with men far more than he ever enjoyed having sex with Lori. He'd gone on a total of four actual dates, two with the same man, and then two different other different ones. Ultimately, they had all decided not to see each other again.

Looking into the reflective surface, that had a few speckles of dirt, he was pleased with his appearance. His hair didn't look the best after being in the car for two hours, so he quickly smoothed down the curls at the back of his head. He washed his face to freshen up a bit, and after drying it and smoothing down his shirt, he left the bathroom and stepped into the office.

The office was messy and cluttered but in a homey sort of way. There were photos and posters on the wall, of horses, other animals, people. There were two desks in the room, one against the right wall, and the other in the center of the room, the one where Daryl was sat. Both desks had computers on them, along with papers, folders, stationary. There were two chairs in front of that desk, comfortable ones with cushions on top of the wooden seats. There was a closet, and two dressers that he guessed were all for storage.

Daryl looked up from where he was reading Rick's resume when he walked in and motioned for him to sit down.

"It's more experience than most people applying for a job as a ranch hand have," Daryl said as Rick took a seat, a little quirk in his lips as he placed the resume down.

Rick smiled back, "I hope that's a good thing,"

Daryl nodded, "Mhm," He said, "Couple things I want to clear up though,"

Rick sat up a little straighter in his chair, and his gut swirled a little with nerves, "Sure,"

"You were a cop for sixteen years, you haven't specified why you left the job," Daryl said.

"I wasn't fired," Rick immediately told him, "I decided to resign after I was shot on the job. I wanted to make sure I was going to be around for my son,"

Daryl nodded, seeming satisfied, "Here," Daryl said, and pointed to a spot on Rick's resume, "You say that you have experience with farm work, that your grandparents had a farm. Do you mean actual experience or you just hung around?"

Rick smirked a little at how blunt Daryl was, "No, it was actual experience. Not so much when I was younger, but from middle school to the end of high school, I was there every day after school and every weekend all weekend. Cleaning stalls, fixing fences, cattle work, other general work,"

Daryl nodded again, closed the resume and handed it back to Rick, "Most important thing, can you ride? Cause this job would include a lot of riding, moving the cattle, finding the cattle when they go missing,"

Rick nodded, "Yes, I can ride, I mean it's been quite a few years, but I'm capable,"

"Okay, good," Daryl replied, "Now, this job would entail starting at five am, and then I'll expect you to work until seven am, you can take an hour and a half then to get your kid ready for school and eat breakfast,"

Rick thought that sounded very reasonable, and he nodded, "Yes, I can do that,"

"I can't tell you exactly what you'll do each day, because shit changes, but there are some general things. Your day will finish at four, but if you haven't finished what you're currently working on, finish it, and if over-time is necessary I will pay it,"

The man sounded strict, that he needed and expected shit to get done. But that was fair, if Rick owned the ranch, he'd expect employees to get shit done too.

"All sounds reasonable," Rick said, shifting a little in his seat and crossing one leg over the other. He ran a hand through his hair and noticed that Daryl watched the movement.

Daryl stood up from his seat, and walked around the desk, "Carol said you'd be interested in renting the apartment above the barn,"

Rick nodded, "Yes, she said it would be my cheapest option, and cheap is what I need right now,"

"Alright, I'll show it to you now, see if you think it'll be okay," Daryl said, and began making his way out of the office, and Rick immediately followed after him.

"Great," Rick replied, and they made their way to a little staircase that was in between the last door, and the next stall.

"It's two bedrooms, one bathroom," Daryl said, as they walked up the stairs and into the little apartment, "Full power and water, you can connect to the wifi we use downstairs in the office. It's small, we had to keep a third of this floor for the hayloft, so it's a little cramped,"

Rick nodded in understanding, and they stepped into the apartment. Rick looked around with a quirked brow. Like Daryl had said, it was cramped, the dining room, living room, and kitchen all in one area. Against the wall on the right was a wall, with three doors that would be for the bedrooms and bathroom. The apartment had white walls and light wooden floors, most of the wooden furniture was white or dark brown. The couch was a light grey and faced a decent sized flatscreen, the dining chairs were a soft blue.

The apartment had plenty of natural light from the large windows along the wall opposite from the stairs, and Rick knew that it would have a very nice view of the central area of the ranch.

"So, you're hourly, pay is fourteen bucks. I know it doesn't sound like much, but the nine-hundred a month rent is taken out of your paycheck. Makes it easier than transferring money," Daryl explained as he let Rick look around the apartment.

He made his way into the kitchen, it had a stove and oven, small fridge, a coffee, toaster, and a microwave. Everything he needed.

"How often would I get paid?" Rick asked, opening a couple of cabinets.

"On the first and fifteenth of every month," Daryl replied, leaning against the table while he waited for Rick to look around.

"That sounds great, Daryl, and this place looks great," Rick said, turning around to face Daryl, and smiling warmly at the attractive man.

"Want to see the bedrooms?" Daryl asked, and Rick immediately nodded, "How old is your son?"

"Fifteen," Rick replied.

"Okay, he might be best in the second room then. They're both almost completely the same, but the second room has a desk, might be helpful since homework and all that shit," Daryl said, he seemed almost a little nervous, like he wasn't sure if it was okay for him to voice his opinion.

"That sounds smart, thanks," Rick said, smiling at Daryl as the man pushed open the door to the first bedroom and then stepped out of the way so Rick could step into the doorway and see.

The room was nice. A queen bed sat in the middle of the room. It had soft blue covers and white, glass top nightstands on both sides. There was closet built into the wall with sliding doors, a red armchair sat in the corner of the room, and a full-length mirror in the other.

They left that room and looked in the other one, and as Daryl had said, it was the same as the other apart from the small wooden desk that sat in the corner where Rick had a chair in his. After seeing the bathroom, the both of them made their way out of the apartment and back down the stairs into the barn.

"Alright," Daryl said, coming to a stop by a wheelbarrow, "When can you start?"

Rick blinked a couple of times, before a broad smile spread over his lips, "Well, I'd need to pack up mine and Carl's apartment, get everything down here. I need to give a week's notice at my job, enroll Carl at the high school here," Rick thought out loud, and then he was quiet for a few moments, "A week and a half," He said finally.

Daryl nodded, "Take off the first day you get here to get settled, start on Thursday," He informed him, "Also, Sunday will be your day off, and you'll only work five to twelve on Saturday,"

"Okay," Rick replied and shoved his hands into the pockets of the jacket he was wearing.

"Do you need to get straight back to Atlanta, or can you stay for a tour?" Daryl asked, pushing some bangs out of his eyes, Rick felt an urge to do it himself.

Rick shook his head, "As long as I leave by twelve, it's fine. I just need to be able to pick Carl up from school,"

Daryl nodded, "Alright. Let's start then," Daryl said, "Now, this place is technically a ranch and an animal sanctuary of sorts. I take in a lot of rescues, whatever needs help. Not all of them are sick, some of them just needed a home. Most of them end up in here, no horses are in the barn," Daryl said, and walked towards the donkey who had stuck his head over his door, "This is Frey, she's lame at the moment with an infection in her hoof, so that's why she's not outside,"

"So, most of the animals are outside during the day?" Rick asked, stroking his hand down Frey's face. He smiled a little as it seemed Daryl had a soft spot for animals, and that he found sweet.

Daryl nodded, "I don't like keeping them cooped up unless they have to be. So, that's a job you'll have every day, letting the animals out of a morning, and then putting them back in,"

"Sounds do-able," Rick said, and then followed Daryl again when he moved further down the barn to the stall with the cow in it.

"That's Laynie," Daryl said and pointed to the still sleeping border-collie, "She's pretty old, doesn't do much but laze around now. She's one of the five dogs here," Daryl said, smiling a little as Rick bent down to pet behind the old girl's ears.

"Five? Wow," Rick said, and stood back up, "How many animals do you have here?" Rick asked out of curiosity.

Daryl sighed and leaned back against the stall that had the cow in it, "There's about two hundred head of cattle, give or take, calves are still being born, and we lose a couple every few months. Then there are the rescues up here that aren't part of a herd. I own eleven horses, but I have some that are being boarded here that I don't own and people come here to ride, and I have three others that I'm training for clients,"

"Oh wow, I didn't know the ranch was so horse involved, I thought it was mainly cattle," Rick said.

"Yeah, some of the horses are workhorses, I have others that I ride for fun, a couple of retirees. Two more are being boarded here by their owners, so they pay me to feed them and put a roof over their head, and they come here a couple of times a week to ride. Client's will pay me to train their horses. And clients will pay me to fix their horses,"

"What do you mean by fix?" Rick asked curiously.

"Well, horses' with behavioral problems, or fears, I fix it,"

Rick nodded, "Sounds like a handful,"

Daryl nodded, "That's why I needed another ranch hand, I need to be able to work more with the horses and not spend so much time doing work around the ranch,"

"Well, I'm glad I'm going to help you out," Rick replied, smiling in a way he hoped was sweet, "Other animals?" He added a few seconds later.

"Oh, right," Daryl said, stroking the neck of the dairy cow that had moved closer to him, "Got three goats, and a baby one on the way, two pigs, another donkey other than Frey. There are two rabbits and three guinea pigs, there's a mule, which is actually Frey's daughter. There are eight chickens, and two domestic ducks, but there's always wild ones everywhere, the same case with the rabbits. There are also four cats, but you'll only really see three of them because the other one is scared of everything and never leaves the house,"

"Shit, that's a lot to manage," Rick said, a little in disbelief.

Daryl laughed softly, and Rick found it unbelievably cute.

"Yeah, it is," Daryl said, and then motioned to the cow, "This is Greenie, she's been sick the past couple of days and needs a daily injection and to not be around the other cattle,"

Rick smiled, and reached out to pet her nose, "Poor thing," he said.

"Come on, let's head outside, I'll show you everything else," Daryl said, and began making his way out of the barn, pointing to the third door when they passed it and told him that it was the feed room. They were greeted with a soft breeze when they stepped outside, and the sun was pleasant against Rick's face, "So, the other donkey, the mule, the goats, are brought inside of a night. They should follow you, but the two working dogs are around to help when you need it,"

They walked across the grass, where Rick was somewhat formally introduced to the goats, the pregnant one, Pippa, and the two others, Ben and Shay.

Daryl also showed Rick to the chicken coop, so he knew where it was, but none of the chickens were in it. After that, they went to the rabbit/guinea pig pen. The pen was a small shed type thing, with fencing around it so that they were also allowed out to run during the day.

"So," Daryl said, pointing to the second red building, "That's the storage shed, you'll find the spare feed in there, tools for the gardens and to clean out stalls, some other crap that ends up being useful at certain points,"

Rick laughed softly, "Alright,"

"The other larger building over there is the stables, that's where all of the horses are kept. There's a total of seventeen horses here at the moment, and there's room for twelve in the stable, so some have to be kept outside of a night. But in bad weather, there's enough room in the barn,"

"Are we going there now?" Rick asked, a little excited because he had always loved horses, and missed being around them since his grandparents died, and their farm and everything on it had to be sold. He especially missed Flame, a chestnut quarter horse that he spent his teen years with. The horse would be very old by now if he were still alive, but Rick still missed the creature.

"Sure," Daryl said softly, and then made his way over to the building, Rick following along behind him.

The stables were gorgeous. They were painted white wood paneling on the exterior, and the little windows where the horses were able to poke their heads out, were outlined in black. The tiled roof was also black. The inside, once they got there, was a concrete floor, and the stalls were paneled wood again up to roughly the horses' chest height, and then the rest of the height, was black bars.

Once again, only a few of the stalls were occupied. The closest horse stuck its head out between the gap in the bars above its stall door and nickered softly. Daryl immediately approached the horse and began stroking the chestnut animal's muzzle.

"This is Garnet. She's one of the boarded horses. She only goes out a couple of times a week, not my choice, but she's a top show-jumper and worth a lot of money, and her owner doesn't want to risk an injury that would put her out of training," Daryl said, and smiled when the horse sniffed at his chest, presumably in search of treats.

Rick sighed, "It makes sense in a way," He said, and then walked towards the next horse.

The horse was black, with a white blaze down its face. "Who's this?" he asked, and let it sniff his hand.

"Nina, she's one of mine. She's still inside because she's having her hooves done by the farrier in an hour or so, she threw a shoe when we were rounding up cattle yesterday,"

Rick chuckled softly, "They always find a way to get themselves in trouble, don't they?"

Daryl laughed at that too and then gave him a complete tour of the stables, the tack room, the feed room, what Rick's duties would be. After that, they went for a walk through some of the closer paddocks, and Rick was introduced to the other horses.

After that, it was the pens behind the barn where the mule, and the second donkey, Samson, and Lucy, along with Daryl's more domesticated cattle.

Once they were done, Daryl walked Rick back to his car.

"Also," Daryl said as they came to a stop by it, "The bus goes down these roads every morning and afternoon to get to all the ranches and houses out here. When you call the school and get Carl enrolled, if you tell them the address, they'll contact the bus company and let them know that they need to make a stop here. It goes past at about ten past eight. You can either drop him down to the road, or it'll take him about fifteen minutes to walk down there,"

Rick smiled at the man's thoughtfulness, "Thank you," Rick said, and then reached for the door handle.

"I'll see you in a week and a bit," Daryl said, crossing his lovely arms over his chest, and Rick admired them for a few moments.

"I'll see you then, I really look forward to it," He said warmly, and only as he got in the car, did he realise that he may have made it come flirtier than he intended.

"Bye," Daryl said, and stepped back from the car as Rick started it up.

Rick waved at him as he began to reverse back onto the dirt road.

 

* * *

  

It was twenty minutes before school ended when Rick arrived at Carl's high school. He pulled out his phone and researched the town he would soon be living in while he waited for his son to join him in the car.

Rick smiled at his son when he saw him approaching the car, and Carl eagerly pulled the door open and climbed inside.

"How did it go?" Carl asked excitedly, smiling widely at him.

Rick smiled fondly at his son and reached over to ruffle his long hair, "Well, in a week in half, we're going to be living on a ranch," He said.

Carl grinned wide and reached over to wrap his arms around Rick's neck.

Rick wrapped his arms around his son and patted his back affectionately, it was an awkward hug over the cup holder and gearstick between them, but they managed.

Rick kissed his son's head and gave him a squeeze before he pulled back. "Let's go start packing, yeah?" He said softly.

Carl smiled and nodded as he relaxed back in his seat, "Yeah, let's go," He said softly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me ages to get this second chapter out, sorry x

A smile pulled at Rick's lips as he looked over at his son. They had been driving for hours, and Carl had fallen asleep about an hour earlier, his feet on the dashboard and his head rested against the window.

They were close to the ranch, if Rick remembered correctly, it was only a couple more minutes until the front entrance to the ranch appeared.

They left the city at around nine am, and it was now nearing twelve o'clock.

The SUV was packed full of all of their belongings, none of the furniture at Rick's apartment was his, so it was much easier not having pack the furniture into the car or sell it before they left.

The hardest thing to get into the car had been Carl's gaming computer, his two monitors and his other gaming sets.

As Rick had predicted, the wooden archway with Cherokee Rose Ranch engraved into it appeared along the side of the road, and Rick turned into it and began down the graveled road.

He reached out and placed his hand on Carl's leg, and squeezed in attempt to wake the boy up, "Carl, wake up," he said, and then smiled when Carl lazily blinked himself awake, "We're here,"

Carl immediately perked up and shifted so that he could properly look out the window, "I can't see the barn anywhere," He said as he adjusted his eye-patch.

"It's just over the hill there," Rick explained, keeping an eye out on the fields along both sides of the road, he couldn't spot the herd that he had seen last week. When he finally spotted them over by the tree line, he pointed for Carl, "Look out there,"

Carl followed his instructions and grinned, "That's a shit-tonne of cows," he said.

Rick snorted and rolled his eyes, there was a time that he cared about Carl's language, but he was fifteen now, and Rick had given up on trying to fight him on it. As long as the language wasn't too explicit, and he understood that there was a time and place for it, he was okay with it.

After another minute or so, they drove over the cattle grate that led them into the main area of the ranch, Carl twisting around in his seat trying to look at everything he possibly could. Rick parked the car in the same area he had when he came for his interview, but just a bit closer to the entrance of the barn so they wouldn't have to carry the boxes as far.

Carl was out of the car in seconds, stretching out his stiff muscles from being in the car for so long, and then eagerly walked over to the dog who had just trotted out of the barn, Rick recognized it as Laynie, the old Border Collie that Daryl had introduced him to.

"That's Laynie," Rick called to his son as he got out of the car, tucking his phone and wallet into his pants before closing the door.

Carl grinned as he squatted down and rubbed behind the dog's ears, "Hey, Laynie," he greeted the dog.

Rick smiled, Carl had always wanted a dog, and Rick was happy to get one for him, but Lori had hated dogs and refused to have one in her house. Then when he divorced Lori and moved, his apartment building, unfortunately, didn't allow pets, so he was still unable to get one for Carl. But now, there were five dogs on the ranch Daryl had told him so Carl could entertain himself with those.

Rick joined Carl in petting dog, and they both did so for a few moments until footsteps from behind them caught his attention.

They both stood up and turned, and Rick smiled when he saw that it was Maggie.

"Hi," She greeted them when she was close, a broad smile on her face, "Good to see you again," She said, her green eyes meeting Rick's blue ones.

"You too," He replied, and then motioned to Carl, "This is my son Carl. Carl, this is Maggie, we'll be working together,"

"Hi, Carl," Maggie said and held out her hand as she stepped closer.

Carl smiled and shook her hand, "Hello," He greeted, and then went back to patting Laynie who had been nosing at his leg.

"Is Daryl around?" Rick asked.

Maggie shook her head and rested her hands on her hips, "Nah, he's up on the ridges, we've got a couple of missing cattle, and he needs to see where they got through the fence and if they're okay," She informed him.

"Are predators a problem?" Rick asked, furrowing his brows.

Maggie shrugged, "There's a black bear every now and then, but they usually keep to themselves. Daryl will take you on a ride in a couple of days, show the rougher parts of the range, and where to avoid going,"

"That would be helpful," Rick said, grinning a little and he nodded, noticing that Carl had perked up at the mention of bears.

Maggie smiled, "Not to worry, we haven't seen any in a couple of years, and they don't stray from their territory usually. If anything, the cattle just spotted some nicer looking grass and decided it was worth a try,"

Rick nodded, "I remember back when I worked on my grandparent's farm, there was this cow, who without a doubt would escape every single day and go down to the creek to pick at the green grass that grew by the water. Didn't matter how many times I fixed the damn fence, she got out every day," he said, smiling a little as he shared the memory.

Maggie laughed, "Come on, I'll help ya'll get your things into the barn,"

"Oh, thank you," Rick replied and then nudged Carl's shoulder, "Go get your stuff," He instructed him.

 

* * *

 

It didn't take too long to get everything into the small apartment, after all, they really didn't have that much stuff for three people to carry.

Once everything had been transported up the stairs, Maggie left them to unpack and got back to work.

It was just before three when they finished unpacking, and the apartment was sorted.

Rick placed his hands on his hips as he made his way out of his bedroom and back into the main area of the apartment. He found Carl sitting in front of the TV, setting up one of his gaming consoles, he approached him and rested his hand on his shoulder.

"You close to being finished?" He asked, "I thought we could drive into town and check it out, see what's where. We need to get some things too,"

Carl nodded, "Sure, you can go down and start the car, I just need to plug these cords in,"

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes," Rick said and grabbed his phone and wallet from the dining table before he made his way out of the apartment.

Just as Rick was walking out of the barn doors, Daryl was approaching through one of the paddock gates. He was leading a quarter horse with a chestnut based paint coat behind him, and both were sweating.

"Hi," Rick greeted once he saw him, and held the gate open so he could walk the horse through it easier.

Daryl smiled at him, "Hey, Rick," He replied, "Sorry I wasn't around to help ya get your shit inside, was out much longer than I thought," He said as he came to a stop, stroking the horse's neck as he spoke to him.

Rick shook his head and closed the gate again, "Don't worry about it, Maggie was here," He said and faced him again, reaching out to the horse and petting its nose, "Who's this one?"

"This is Teddy, he's my main working horse," Daryl replied.

Rick hummed, "I'm just waiting for Carl," He said, "We're going to head into town and see where everything is, get some groceries and I need to get some new boots, I think," He said, stretching out his leg to expose his worn cowboy boots.

Daryl nodded, "Good idea," He replied, "You get him sorted into school, okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, all sorted. He'll start on Monday, Rick replied, I figured he'll need a couple of days to get settled here,"

"It's a good school from what Carol tells me, one of my friends will be one of his teachers maybe," Daryl replied and cracked his knuckles, Rick cringed a little at the noise.

"Who's your friend?" He asked.

"Paul Rovia," Daryl told him, "Known him for a couple of years, his husband works here a couple of days a week, and he's Maggie's best friend,"

Rick took note of Daryl mentioning that the man had a husband, "Oh yeah, Rovia rings a bell, what does he teach?" He asked. He swore he did see that name somewhere on the timetable that the school had emailed to him.

"Art," Daryl replied, "He's kinda a weird guy, looks deeply into things, you know? Probably one of the nicest most and polite guys you'll ever meet, but he's also a completely sarcastic asshole, and he's got like three black belts and doesn't take shit. Got long hair and a beard, everyone but Aaron and me call him Jesus,"

Rick snorted, "He does sound interesting. So, Aaron's the husband? What's he like?"

Daryl leaned against the gate behind him, "Aaron's great, he's nice too, not a smartass like Paul," He said with a soft laugh, "Been through a lot, lost his first husband, Eric, in a car accident 'bout five years ago, a few months before the baby they were adopting was born"

Rick shook his head, "That's awful," He said, "I'm sorry, did you know him?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah," He sighed, "But it's been a long time, moved on and all that. Aaron recovered well too, raising the baby, Gracie, helped him with his grief,"

Rick smiled at him, "Well, that's good. Grief can be hard to move on from," He replied, he was enjoying the conversation, happy that Daryl was having a deep conversation with him, but they were interrupted by heavy footsteps from behind them.

"Hey, sorry I took so long, had to piss," Carl said as he appeared beside Rick, smiling at Daryl and Teddy.

"Watch your mouth," Rick said and rolled his eyes as he playfully elbowed Carl in the side.

Carl smirked up at him and elbowed him back, "Sorry."

Rick looked back to Daryl, "This is my son, Carl. Carl, this is my boss, Daryl," He introduced the pair of them.

"Hey, kid," Daryl greeted, and held his hand out for Carl to shake, which he did.

Rick felt relieved when he didn't bring up the eyepatch, very rarely did anyone ever mention it, but it was still a fear in the back of Rick's head that someone would say something to make his son feel bad about himself.

"Hey," Carl replied, "Nice horse,"

Daryl grinned and patted the horse's neck again, "This is Teddy, you can pet him if you want," He encouraged, and grinned a little wider when Carl immediately did so, eagerly stroking down his cheek.

Rick allowed his son to get acquainted with the horse for a few minutes, before he got Carl's attention, "Come on, we've got a lot to do before the shops close," He told his son and then took a few steps back towards his car.

"Okay," Carl agreed, "See you, Daryl," He said, and then trotted around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door.

Daryl waved at him, "Come by the house when you get back," He told him as he began to make his way towards the stables, "Won't take too long,"

"Sure," Rick replied, and then joined Carl inside of the car, "You ready?" He asked his son as he buckled up his seatbelt.

"Yeah," Carl replied, "There's a comic book store in town, I googled it, could we check it out?" He asked, looking at Rick excitedly.

Rick nodded, "Sure if we have time after getting the essentials,"

"What are the essentials?"

"We need to get you your supplies for school, new boots for me, and groceries," He replied as he started the car and began reversing.

"Okay," Carl replied and settled in his seat as they began to drive towards the cattle grate.

 

* * *

  

It around half-past six o'clock when they got back to the ranch, and the both of them spent a few minutes carrying the bags of groceries and other things they had bought from the car and into the apartment.

Rick unpacked the groceries into their spaces in the kitchen while Carl got his school supplies started, and once he was finished, he made his way to Carl's room and stepped through the open door.

"I need to go and see Daryl. Will you be okay here for a while?" He asked his son who was sat on the bed and sorting things into his pencil case.

Carl looked up at him and nodded, "Yeah, I'm almost done with this, and then I'm gonna have a shower,"

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," He told him and then left the bedroom.

Once outside, he was met with a bit of a cold breeze. It was early September, the start of Autumn, and it was beginning to get a bit chilly on certain nights.

His new boots were comfortable as he walked across the lawn and towards the farmhouse. There were no wandering animals so they must have all been put in while he and Carl were in town.

The house had another fence that surrounded it to stop the animals from getting onto the front porch and onto the garden Rick assumed. There was a closed metal gate, and the fence rails were high enough from the ground that the dogs could fit under them to get inside. The garden was pretty and looked like it was well kept, and Rick wondered if Daryl took care of the garden himself, or if Maggie or one of his other employees did it.

Rick lifted his fist and knocked on the heavy front wooden door, smiling at the domestic scene of the blankets and pillows that were spread on the porch swing as he waited for Daryl to let him inside.

The door was pulled open after a few moments, and Daryl was suddenly stood in front of him. He appeared to have changed, not into pajamas, but into clean jeans and a black t-shirt that gave Rick a nice view of his arms.

"Hey," Daryl greeted him with a soft smile, "Keep your boots on," He told him as he stepped to the side and motioned for Rick to come in.

"Okay," Rick replied and stepped into the house, Daryl closing the door behind him.

He entered into something like a hallway, coat racks on both sides of the door, bookshelves, dressers, and other storage shelves that had photos frames and some random nic nacs on it. On the left of the hallway, was an archway that went into the kitchen by what Rick could see, and he could spot a couch where the hallway ended, that he assumed was the lounge room.

"Come on," Daryl instructed him, and led him through the kitchen, through another archway, and into a dining room, "Take a seat," He told him.

Rick did as he was told, and pulled out one of the dark wooden chairs and sat down, "What did you need more for?" He asked curiously as he watched Daryl ruffle through some papers at the other end of the table.

"Just to go over some general things," Daryl replied, finding the papers he was looking for and gripping them in his hand as he sat down in the chair opposite Rick.

"Alright," Rick replied as he rested one leg over the other.

"First thing," Daryl said as he got comfortable, "When I first showed you the apartment, I forgot to mention that since there's no laundry in it, you'll share mine here in the house,"

"Oh, great," Rick replied, "I kind of assumed that was the case, but I completely forgot to clarify,"

"Well, now it is," Daryl said and pushed the papers so that they were in front of him, "Those are just some basic contacts. My cell, along with everyone else that works here, and my home phone. There's the vets, the farrier, the produce store. There's also the wifi password for your apartment. The second page is just a basic schedule for what you'll need to do tomorrow, just to give you an idea before you get settled into everything,"

"Oh great," Rick said as he folded the paper and tucked it into his coat pocket, "I'll put those in my phone when I get back to the apartment, and Carl will be wanting the wifi password," He said, chuckling a little.

Daryl smiled, "He'll like it, it's pretty fast," He replied, "You'll also find the account name for the ranch's Instagram and Facebook. We have those up because they're good advertising for all the rescue we do here, made our adoption rates really go up when Maggie's set them up for me,"

Rick nodded, "That's a smart idea. How often do you get adoptions?" Rick asked.

"Fairly often," Daryl replied, "We don't have a lot of rescues here at the moment as we had an open house about a month ago, but we got more coming in this week,"

"Open house?" Rick asked with furrowed brows, a little confused.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah, another thing that Maggie set up. Basically, it was a day where people could come in, watch me work with the horses, we had a show jumping completion for the kids, had a pet barn of sorts, a barbecue. I thought it was going to be a waste of time, to be honest," He said, a slight laugh in his voice at the last sentence, "But it was really successful, we had about twenty adoptions in total, and it got the ranch's name out there, brought me a shit tonne more business too,"

"Well," Rick started, smiling at the slightly younger man, "It sounds like it was pretty damn successful,"

Daryl hummed and leaned back in his chair, "Sure was, Maggie wants to make it an annual thing, and well, she's pretty hard to say no to,"

Rick laughed, "She seems great,"

"Oh, she is," Daryl replied, "Natural born leader though, practically promoted herself to the manager,"

Rick shook his head as he grinned, "That seems to suit her though,"

Daryl nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it does," He replied, "Anyway, back to the social media, I ask everyone that works here to keep an eye out for rescues, someone that needs a home. Always come to me first before you make any sort of arrangements though,"

Rick smiled, "No worries, I'm on Facebook, and I'm sure Carl will help me set up whatever the other thing's called," He said, waving his hand.

"Instagram," Daryl told him.

"Instagram, yeah," He said, grinning at the other man, watching how he pushed his bangs back from his face, exposing eyes that Rick noticed were a very pretty shade of blue.

Daryl smiled at him, "He seems like a good kid," He said softly.

Rick nodded immediately, "He is, he's amazing really, probably the most supportive son a guy could ask for. I mean, he's been through a lot, but he's always been there for me,"

"You're lucky to have him then," Daryl said and proceeded to stand up from his chair, "He must be lucky to have you too,"

Rick felt his cheeks flush a little as he followed Daryl's lead and stood up, "Well, we're all each other has," Rick said and followed Daryl out of the dining room, back through the kitchen and towards the front door.

Daryl shrugged and looked over his shoulder at him, "Well, we're a family here, sure there are only three other employees, but they all brought other people with them, and it kind of made us all into as what Paul would say, one big, happy, dysfunctional family. You two will be apart of that soon enough,"

"You know what Daryl," Rick said with a smile as they came to a stop by the door and faced each other again, "That honestly sounds really fucking great,"

Daryl chuckled, and pulled the door open, "Every Sunday, everyone comes over for dinner at around six, you and Carl are welcome to join," He told him, giving him a warm smile.

Rick smiled back, "We'd love that, thank you," He said, genuinely very grateful for the man's offer.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," Daryl said.

"Bright and early," Rick replied cheerfully as he stepped out the door, "Have a good night," He called as he made his way to the steps of the porch, looking back at Daryl over his shoulder.

"You too," Daryl replied, and then closed the door.

 

* * *

  

He arrived back at the apartment and found Carl in the kitchen and stirring something in a pot on the stove as he flicked through his phone. He had showered and was just in his sweatpants and a pair of socks, and he had his hair pulled up in a messy knot of sorts.

"Hey," Rick greeted as he pulled off his boots and sat them by the door, "Sorry, you didn't have to start dinner,"

Carl tucked his phone into his pocket and shrugged, "Eh, it's okay, I'm hungry, and I got bored," He replied.

Rick came up behind him and stroked his hair for a moment before stepped over to the fridge and grabbing himself a beer, "Well, Daryl gave me the wifi password so you can set all of your stuff up to that,"

"Awesome," Carl said, grinning at him.

Rick hummed and took a sip of his beer as he pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Carl, "What are you cooking?" He asked.

"Just some spaghetti," He replied, motioning to the empty jar of premade sauce on the counter.

"Sounds great," Rick said, "Well if you're okay with that, I'm going to and have a shower,"

"Go ahead," Carl replied, not looking at him as he presumably typed the wifi password into his phone.

Rick rolled his eyes at him fondly and had another mouthful of his beer before he placed it back in the fridge to keep it cold while he showered.

He grabbed his pajamas before he stepped into the bathroom. He stripped off his clothes, and happily stretched naked. His back popped in several placed, and he cringed, he hated the noise of cracking bones, always had. He had never been a squeamish guy, but for whatever reason, that just got to him.

He had already packed all toiletries and fresh towels into the bathroom, so he didn't need to worry about that.

He looked at himself in the mirror, he had faint dark circles under his eyes, but that wasn't surprising as it had been a long week getting everything sorted for him and Carl's move. His curls were messy, as they usually were by the end of the day, and he noticed that it was greasy where the hair grew out from his scalp.

He turned on the water of the shower and was pleased when it heated up right away, at his and Carl's old apartment it took several minutes for the water to get hot, which was quite annoying. He stepped under the water and sighed in pleasure when he found that it also had a very pleasant pressure and it felt terrific against his skin.

By the time he was done in the bathroom, Carl had finished dinner and was serving the spaghetti out onto two plates for the both of them, and he had also turned the TV on and logged into his Netflix account by the looks of it.

Rick got his beer back out of the fridge and carried it and his plate over to the couch where Carl had sat down, placing his own meal on the coffee table as he searched through Netflix.

He eventually settled on a movie and placed his dinner in his lap and joined Rick in eating.

"Thank you for cooking," Rick said after swallowing a mouthful of his spaghetti.

Carl shrugged, "Thanks for moving us out of Atlanta," He said quietly, glancing over at him.

Rick watched him for a moment and noticed that there was the start of dark hair above his upper lip and Rick wondered how the hell his baby was fifteen already.

He sighed heavily and leaned over, he cupped the back of Carl's neck and kissed his temple, "I love you, Carl," He said softly as he did.

He pulled away, and Carl smiled at him, "I love you too, dad," He replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Rick's alarm woke him at five to five, the blaring noise startling him out of his sleep and he groaned as he slammed his hand down on the button to shut the noise off.

He rubbed between his eyebrows with two fingers and sat up in the bed, the covers falling around his hips. He hadn't seen a reason to set the alarm any earlier as all he needed was to put on his clothes because he only worked until seven where he was then given an hour and a half break to have breakfast and spend time with Carl.

He stretched his arms above his head and yawned heavily before he stood up from the bed. He pulled on his jeans, socks, t-shirt, and coat before he made his way out of his bedroom.

He stopped by Carl's room, and quietly pushed the door open and peeked inside. It was very dark, and all he could make out was a lump under the covers, he carefully closed the door again.

He found his phone where he left it on the coffee table and tucked it into his back pocket, he also pulled on his brand new boots before making his way out of the apartment, and down the stairs.

It was cool in the first floor of the barn, and Rick was glad that he had decided to put on his coat. He had memorized the basic schedule that Daryl had given him, so he hadn't carried it with him and left it in the apartment.

He had the light of his phone on and used it to find the light switch that was on the wall by the stairs. Yellow light filled the barn, and he smiled at the sight of Frey who had stuck her head over the door of her stall.

He approached her and stroked her face, "Hey, Frey," He greeted the donkey before he made his way past her, and as his schedule said, checked each stall to make sure that none of the animals appeared unwell before he began sorting out their feed.

Everyone appeared fine, the sick dairy cow that Daryl had had in there the previous week was gone, so it was only the goats, the two donkeys, and the mule. He needed to let the goats out, who would make their way to their feed bin just outside the barn themselves apparently, and then he'd lead the two donkeys, and mule outside into their smaller paddock just outside the back door of the barn and feed them there.

The three goats were all kept in the same stall as the stalls were large and there was plenty of room for them all. He opened the front barn doors before he let them out so that they could exit straight away. They all bleated at him as he began to unlatch the door, apparently eager to get out of where they had been kept for the night. Once the door was open, they all trotted along the stalls and outside, except for the pregnant one, Pippa, who nosed at his thigh until he scratched behind his ears, and then she followed the others.

He decided it would be easier to get everyone into their designated place before he did any feeding. The donkeys and the mule were already wearing halters, so he just grabbed two lead ropes that hung from a hook between the stalls, and grabbed Frey (who's infection was gone, so she could go outside again), and the mule, her daughter as Daryl had told him, Marnie, and led them both to their paddock. He did the same with the second donkey, Lucy, before heading into the feed room to collect what he needed there.

Daryl hadn't given him feed specifics on his little schedule but wrote that they were on the board in the feed room. The board told him that the goats got two buckets (which weren't full-size feed buckets) of grain. So, Rick measured it out and then carried it outside.

He smiled when sure enough, the three animals were waiting for him by their feed bins, and they all bleated impatiently as Rick poured the grain into the bin for them.

He finished the goats and donkeys fairly quickly, and then followed the instructions for cutting up the vegetables from the feed room's fridge for the rabbits.

The sun was beginning to come up as he left the barn to make his way to the rabbit hutch, just in time for a black pickup truck to pull into the main area of the ranch, and park on the patch of grass in the middle by the barn, which seemed to be the designated parking spot.

Rick decided to approach the car, figuring that it might be Aaron or Maggie.

Sure enough, when he was closer, the driver's side door opened, and a very tall man with curly brown hair and a beard that was around an inch long stepped out. He wore jeans, boots, and a thick green sweater.

"Hey," Rick called out as the man hadn't appeared to have noticed him.

The man looked up and quickly smiled as he made his way to him, "Hi," The man greeted him, and held out his hand when he was within reach, "You must be Rick, I'm Aaron," The man told him, confirming his suspicions.

"Nice to meet you," Rick replied as he shook his hand, returning the smile that Aaron was giving him.

"You too," Aaron said, and released his hand, "It'll be good to have another pair of hands around here, we're a bit swamped,"

Rick nodded in understanding, Daryl had mentioned that he had a couple of part-time workers, "I'm glad I can help out," He said, shifting the bowl of rabbit food in one hand.

"I'm glad you're here," Aaron said and slapped him on the shoulder before he turned around again, "I'll catch up with you later, there are some broken fences Daryl really needs me to get on," He called over his shoulder as he walked towards the stables.

Rick didn't reply, just waved a hand in understanding and made his way to the rabbit hutch. The hutch was large with a fenced off run for the rabbits and guinea pigs to get out onto the grass during the day, but they were locked up at night, so they weren't taken by foxes.

Once they were fed and let out, and the same with the chickens, Rick made his way to the stables and began the process of feeding the horses.

 

* * *

 

As his schedule had told him, he finished feeding the horses at just before seven, so he would have to let them all out into the paddocks after his hour and a half break. Which was really the only way it could work anyway as the horses were given their feed in the stalls and needed time to eat before they were let out.

Rick made his way to Carl's room when he was back in the apartment, and he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He flicked the light on and sat down on the bed beside his son. He smiled at the sight of him, he was laying on his stomach, his long hair a complete mess, and both of his hands shoved under his pillow.

Rick placed his hand on his bare back, "Carl," He said loud enough to wake the teenager up.

Carl groaned and squirmed further into his pillow, "What?" He asked.

"I'm on my breakfast break, I'm going to make some eggs. Do you want some?" He asked, pushing his son's hair back so that he could see his face.

"Want to sleep," Carl replied.

Rick rolled his eyes, "You can go back to sleep after breakfast if you want, but it wouldn't hurt for you to stay up, you start school in five days, you need to get used to being up at seven,"

"I'll get used to it on Monday," Carl argued, blinking his eye open to glare at Rick for a moment.

Rick smirked at him, and stood up from the bed, "Eggs will be about fifteen minutes," He said, and left the room, chuckling when Carl threw a pillow at him.

"Turn the light off!"

"Nope!" Rick called back as he stepped into the kitchen, grinning to himself as he began going through his pantry.

Though tired, the smell of eggs did lure Carl out of his bedroom, and he sat himself down on one of the stools by the counter and rested his jaw in his hands as he waited for Rick to finish up.

Rick ruffled his hair affectionately as he slid the plate of eggs of toast in front of him and then settled down with his own plate beside his son.

"How's it been?" Carl asked after a couple of mouthfuls, his voice still groggy and full of sleep.

Rick smiled, "Well, I've only done feeding so far, but Daryl's taking me out on the horses and giving me a tour of the property sometime today, that will be good," He replied, and he had to admit that he was quite excited, he hadn't been on a horse in years, but he had loved riding back when he worked on his grandparent's farm.

"Like what Maggie was telling us," Carl said, having a mouthful of orange juice, "With the bears," He added after swallowing.

Rick rolled his eyes fondly, "I'm sure we won't see any bears, Carl,"

"Take a picture if you do though," He pressed, and Rick snorted.

"Sure,"

 

* * *

 

It was just after nine when Rick was just about to lead the last two horses out of the stables and into the paddocks, Teddy was one of them, and the second was a buckskin mare that he didn't know the name of when Daryl approached him.

"Hey, don't take those two out," Daryl said to him in greeting, having appeared in the stables' doorway.

Rick paused, unsure if that meant to take them back into their stalls, "Okay," he said, taking in Daryl, who looked wide awake, "Where should they go then?"

"Tie 'em to the arena fence, then come into the tack room," Daryl told him as he walked passed him, petting Teddy on his rump as he passed him.

Rick did as Daryl told him to do and tethered the two horses the white arena fence, made sure they were both okay, and then re-entered the stables and then the tack room.

"We doin' that tour now?" Rick asked as he took the saddle and bridle that Daryl held out to him.

"Sure are," Daryl replied as he grabbed another set of tack, "I got other stuff that needs to be done," Daryl said, grinning at him before passing him to exit the tack room, "Let's go,"

"This is Brandy, and she'll be your main working horse," Daryl said when they reached the horses, and he petted the buckskin's rump again.

Rick grinned and placed his tack down on the ground as he made his way to Brandy's face to be able to pet her, "She's gorgeous," He said.

Daryl hummed and lifted his saddle and saddle pad onto Teddy's back, "And a real sook too, now come on, tack up," He replied.

"Want to make sure I know how?" Rick asked with a grin as he placed the thick blue saddle pad onto Brandy's back and then reached for the saddle.

"Who knows, you might be lying to me," Daryl said with a smirk and a wink in his direction as he tightened the girth on Teddy.

Rick laughed softly, "I guess we're about to find out, aren't we?" He said and heard Daryl chuckle.

They finished tacking up after a few more minutes, and Daryl led them to the entrance of the arena. Daryl motioned for Rick and Brandy to enter through the gate while he waited on the other side of the fence, throwing Teddy's reins over the rails as he rested his arms on the fence.

"Just ride for me for a couple of minutes, just want to see what you're like," Daryl told him as Rick brought Brandy to a stop.

"No worries," Rick replied, deciding not to give Daryl anymore cheek about testing him.

He quickly checked the mare's girth, and then placed his boot-covered foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself up into the saddle. He couldn't help the grin that pricked at the corner of his lips as he got comfortable, it had been years since he was in a saddle and he had missed it a whole lot.

He gave Daryl a quick smile and then adjusted his grip on the reins before gently squeezing Brandy's sides with his legs and clicking his tongue as encouragement for the horse to walk, which it did.

As the horse began to walk, he straightened his back and angled his heels downwards. After he walked half a circle, he tapped his heels against the horse and clicked again and was pleased with how quickly she responded to his actions and moved into a trot.

He trotted for several minutes, in a circle twice each direction. With some more instructions and encouragement from him, Brandy did as she was asked and began to canter, her stride smooth and comfortable beneath him as he went with her movements and kept his butt in the saddle.

He kept his focus on the horse beneath him, the directions he gave the mare, and listened to her own cues also. In the back of his mind, he was aware that Daryl was watching him ride, and that probably should have made him nervous, but for whatever reason, it didn't.

What finally got his attention outside of Brandy was the sound of a car pulling up close to the arena. Rick looked over and found a black Mitsubishi parked on the grass, and Rick brought Brandy to a stop as he watched the driver's side door open.

A man stepped out, long hair and a beard from what Rick could make out, and it quickly clicked for Rick that the man must be Jesus, Daryl's and Maggie's friend and Aaron's husband. The man waved at them quickly, and then pulled open one of the back doors, and seconds later, a little girl bounded out of the car and towards Daryl.

"Gracie! Don't run near the horses!" Jesus called to her as he closed the car door and started after her, Rick heard Daryl chuckle.

"Sorry, papa," The little girl replied and immediately followed her father's instructions and slowed to a walk.

Rick walked the horse to the fence and then dismounted right as Gracie reached them. She was a very adorable little girl, Rick noticed, she had long blonde hair and incredibly bright blue eyes, a sweet smile and what looked like would be very squishy cheeks. Judging by what Daryl had told him about Aaron the previous day, she had to be around four-years-old.

He watched as Daryl placed his hand on the girl's head and petted her hair, "Hey, sweetheart. How's your morning been?" He asked her.

Gracie grinned and wrapped an arm around Daryl's leg as she stroked Teddy's chest, "It was good! Papa made me pancakes with whipped cream for breakfast, and now we've come to see daddy before papa has to go to school," She told Daryl enthusiastically.

Rick grinned at how cute she was and rested his arms on the railing of the fence.

"Is hubby around?" Jesus asked when he reached them, placing his hands on Gracie's shoulders.

Daryl shrugged, "He was fixing fences earlier, but he should be on his way back by now," He replied.

Jesus nodded in understanding and brushed a hand over Gracie's cheek, and looked to Rick, "Fresh meat, I see," He said, a grin lighting up his features. The man's beard, and the way his smile made him look younger, made it difficult for Rick to pinpoint an age range for him.

"Paul, Gracie, this is Rick, new ranch hand," Daryl introduced them.

Rick held his hand out for the bearded man to shake, "Good to meet you," He said as Jesus grasped his hand in his own and shook it firmly and then looked down at Gracie who waved sweetly at him.

"You too," Jesus replied, his smile warm as he let go of his hand, "Hopefully with you around Aaron will start getting home earlier," He said and watched as Gracie wandered off to pet one of the horses in the paddock nearby. Rick recognized the chestnut as one of Daryl's retirees, "Gracie misses him, she's only been seeing him a couple of hours a day for over a month now,"

"It's been making Aaron miserable too," Daryl said.

Rick could see the sadness that spread over Jesus' face at Daryl's words, and he felt sympathy for the man, and he genuinely was glad that he would be able to help them out.

Rick decided to lighten the mood a little, and he cleared his throat, "She's adorable," He said to Jesus and nodded his head in the direction of Gracie who was no petting a dog that had appeared, it wasn't one Rick had seen before, it kind of looked like a German Sheppard, but wasn't.

Jesus smiled broad and looked over at the girl, "She's the best thing that ever happened to me, her and Aaron of course," He said fondly.

Rick knew that kind of fondness, he felt it whenever he looked at Carl.

"Same for my son," Rick said, somewhere in the back of his head, the little voice told him that he was making friends, and that made him grin a little, "He's actually starting at your school on Monday, and going to be in your class,"

Jesus nodded, "Oh, great," He said, "What's his name and what grade?"

"Carl Grimes, and Sophomore," Rick replied.

Jesus raised a brow, "You seem young to have a fifteen-year-old," he said, and Rick smirked when he noticed Daryl roll his eyes.

"I'm thirty-five now, which really ain't that young. I was twenty when he was born,"

Jesus hummed and was about to say something but they were interrupted by the sounds of hooves against gravel, and they all turned to see Aaron emerging on a blood-red bay horse from behind the stables.

Rick watched how Aaron's face lit up as soon as he spotted his husband, a broad smiling forming beneath his beard, creating crinkles by his eyes as he came to a stop by them, his entire face radiating happiness. Rick wanted to love someone so much that his face lit up just like that when he saw them.

"Hi, honey," Aaron greeted as he approached Jesus and the two of them fell into a kiss, "I didn't know you were coming this morning," he said when they pulled apart and joined Rick and Daryl again.

"Last minute decision," Jesus replied and wrapped an arm around Aaron's waist.

Rick met Aaron's eyes, and the man smiled politely before he and Jesus made their way over to see Gracie, who had just noticed that Aaron had arrived.

Rick looked back to Daryl, and found the man already looking at him, "You ready to head off?" Daryl asked, and crouched down to pet the dog who had left Gracie and was greeting him instead.

Rick nodded, and walked himself and Brandy out of the arena, "Let's get to it,"

"Alright, can you take the two horses and wait for me up by that gate up there," He said pointing to a gate on the left side of the barn, "I'll run into the house quickly, I left the saddlebags in there,"

"Okay," Rick agreed, and Daryl smiled at him a little before he spun on his heels and began towards the house, the German Shepard looking dog on his heels.

Rick reached out and gripped Teddy's reins and then began to lead them both, he stopped by Jesus, Aaron, and Gracie who were still by the chestnut horse, Gracie now in Aaron's arms.

"Me and Daryl are off," Rick said and came to a stop in front of them, "He's just grabbing the saddlebags,"

"Alright," Aaron said, "Enjoy yourself, there really is some nice country around here," He said and then bounced Gracie in his arms, and she giggled.

"Will do,"

"It was nice to meet you, Rick," Jesus began, "I look forward to meeting Carl on Monday,"

Rick smiled and began to walk, "He'll see you then, and I'll see ya'll later," He called over his shoulder.

\------------

Aaron had been right the country was beautiful.

He and Daryl had ridden to where Daryl's second herd of cattle was, closer to the woods in front of the mountains, and Daryl showed him the pastures that that herd was shuffled through.

Daryl had explained that if Rick were to enter the woods, which was fine as there was plenty of trails through it, he did need to be very careful to never veer of said trails because he could get himself lost very easily as he didn't know the area.

The land was all lush grass, plants, scattered trees, and dams for water sources for the cattle. They had also come across some deer, which had scattered as soon as they spotted the two men on horses, but Rick still appreciated the sight of the peaceful animals for a few minutes before they had seen them.

"Alright," Daryl said as they came to the top of a ridge, and Rick looked out at the spectacle in front of him in awe.

The ridge gave them an amazing view of the mountains in front of them, and down the ridge was a river that ran in between several other ridges and disappeared around a corner towards the mountains. The woods were off to the right, but there was still a thinning of trees around the water.

"That's gorgeous," Rick said as he reached down and stroked Brandy's buckskin coat. He was already falling in love with the horse, she behaved incredibly well, listened to all of his cues and didn't spook at anything, gave him no trouble at all.

Daryl hummed from beside him, Teddy shifting his back legs and lowering his head as he snorted, "It is, but you don't wanna go down there,"

Rick nodded in understanding, "Bear country?" He asked and couldn't help himself from squinting his eyes and looked harder, wondering if he could spot a black bear.

"Yeah," Daryl grunted, "We ain't seen one in two years, but that's where they've always been. The fence we went through fifty meters backstops the cattle from getting down there, so they're not at risk, and me, Aaron, or Maggie aren't either,"

"Is this the only place to avoid?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," He said and pointed, "From there, all the way to there,"

Rick nodded, "Okay, I've got that locked in, now, think we could stop for some lunch? I'm starving,"

Daryl laughed softly and spun Teddy around, "Sure come on, there's a nice spot a mile this way," He called out as he moved the horse into a canter.

Rick's stomach grumbled as he and Brandy followed Daryl's lead, following the man across the open pasture.

 

* * *

 

They came to a stop under a large oak tree, it had to be at least fifty feet tall Rick decided, it was massive.

The shade was pleasant as they dismounted and led the horses under it. It was still hot during the day, despite the chilly nights. Rick could feel his shirt sticking to his back with sweat, and he knew the curls at the base of his neck would also be damp.

The led the horses to a knocked log and tethered them to the two sturdiest branches. Brandy and Teddy immediately relaxed, seeming grateful for the break as they hung their necks low.

"We'll stop by the damn in the next paddock, they could use a drink," Daryl told him as he opened his saddlebag, pulling out a bottle of water and a small plastic container.

"Sure, no worries," Rick replied, going through his own bag. Daryl had packed it for him, so he had no idea what to expect.

The two of them sat down on the grass a few meters away from the horses and immediately began to eat and drink their lunch, satisfying their empty stomachs.

"So," Daryl said after a few minutes of silence, wiping a bread crumb off his lips, "You liking the job so far?" He asked, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Rick couldn't help himself from taking notice of how his jeans tightened on his thick thighs.

Rick cleared his throat and tried to wish the blush off his cheeks, "Yeah, it's been great. I really like it out here, Jesus and Aaron seem great too. I wouldn't hate to make some friends, I don't have any, to be honest," He told the long-haired man, laughing softly and taking another bite of his sandwich.

"You'll make friends quick," Daryl said, looking over at him for a moment, "You're a good guy, easy to get along with,"

Rick's lips spread in a smile, "Thanks, that's a sweet thing to say," Rick replied, and thought that maybe Daryl's cheeks flushed a little.

Daryl shrugged and grunted, "Ain't nothin'," He said, having a swig of his water.

Rick hummed in disagreement but argued no more than that, "Okay," He said quietly.

"You mind if I ask you somethin' about your kid?" Daryl asked several minutes later, they had finished their meal and were mounting the horses again.

Rick furrowed his brows in confusion, "Sure," He replied after a few moments, turning Brandy and following Daryl who had begun walking Teddy along the grass.

"The eye-patch," Daryl said, "I wasn't gonna say anything in front of him, didn't wanna upset him or nothin', but I figured I could ask you,"

Rick hummed, "He lost it to cancer. By the time the doctors found the problem, it was too late, and their only option was to remove his eye. I want to get him fitted for a glass eye at some point, but they're really fucking expensive, and I don't have the money for that right now, probably won't for ages,"

"I understand that," Daryl said, "A different sense, but still similar,"

Rick frowned in confusion and looked over at the other man, "What do you mean?" He asked.

Daryl smiled at him and tapped his left ear, "I've been deaf in this ear for about three years," He answered.

Rick quirked a brow, "Oh, really? How'd you lose it?" He asked, "If you don't mind me asking, of course," He added after a few seconds.

Daryl chuckled and shook his head, "I asked about Carl, only fair ain't it? I had a bad fall of one of the horses I was working with, hit my head real' bad," He explained, "I was knocked out for a couple of days, and when I woke up it was just gone,"

"It would have been hard losing it like that, so suddenly," Rick said, "I know it was for Carl, one of the big reasons we left Atlanta because he was starting to get bullied, and his friends looked at him with pity, and he hated it. By the time we left, he'd drifted apart from everyone,"

"Bullies are special fucking kinds of asshole, aren't they?" Daryl replied after a few moments, dropping his reins for a second to raise his arms above his head and stretch.

Rick nodded, "Real fucking assholes, if it were acceptable, I would have punched at least ten fucking kids back in Atlanta," He said, and the usual anger in his gut swirled like it did whenever he thought about the people that had hurt his kid, "I'm just hoping it won't be the same here,"

"I doubt it," Daryl replied as he grasped his reins again, "Carol will make sure Sophia finds him, she's a great kid. Henry's only ten, so Carl won't see as much of him, but he's a good kid too. Paul will keep an eye on him too for sure, most of the kids at the school love Paul, but they know that he doesn't take shit,"

"Well, knowing that Jesus is there does make me feel better," Rick said, he had meant what he said to Daryl about Jesus seeming like a great guy, "I just Carl to be happy. Our lives have been a mess for the past year, I just want a sense of normalcy for him, me too as well, I guess,"

"That have something to do with you bein' shot?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah," Rick said quietly, remembering that he had told Daryl he was shot back at his interview when the man had asked why he had left his job after being in it so long, "First he lost his eye, and then I was shot and nearly died after being in a coma for almost two months. When I woke up, my wife told me that she was pregnant with my best friend's baby,"

Daryl winced, "Shit man, that's fucking awful. I've been cheated on before too… fucking hurts," He said, refusing to look at Rick, keeping his eyes glued to the space between Teddy's ears.

Rick took in the bit of information, appreciating that Daryl shared something personal about himself, "I mean, me and Lori hadn't been in love for a long time, but I never had fucking been unfaithful to her. I stayed with her for the sake of our son, and maybe that was selfish, not letting either of us be happy properly, but that's just what seemed right,"

"Man, stuff's always complicated when a kid is involved," Daryl said.

Rick hummed and nodded in agreement, "That's for sure," He said, "Anyway, I thought me and Lori were going to remain civil for the sake of our son, I know that's not selfish. But, that wasn't how she saw it,"

"She tried to take him from you?" Daryl asked, and Teddy snorted softly.

They were still on open pasture, but Rick noticed that they were making their way back the way they came, so Rick assumed that they were done and headed back to the ranch.

"Mhm," Rick agreed, "I was happy to settle for fifty-fifty custody, well, not happy, but it was what was fair. But, she believed her and Shane,"

"The best friend?" Daryl asked for clarification.

Rick nodded, "Yep. Anyway, she believed that her and Shane needed to have Carl a majority of the time, me only being able to see him every second weekend. Eventually, the case was settled with Lori getting Carl on weekdays, and me on weekdays, which wasn't fair," He explained, and just the thought of how Lori had tried to take Carl away from him, made him want to go and find his son and give him a hug.

"How's that work now that you're three hours out of Atlanta?" Daryl asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"Lori died giving birth during her and Shane's daughter, which is awful, but it left me with no obligations to stay in Atlanta,"

Daryl was quiet for several moments before he finally sighed heavily and looked over at him, "Looks like things did turn out for the best though, didn't they?"

A smile pulled at Rick's lips, "Yeah, so far," He said.

"Come on, let's get back," Daryl said and moved Teddy into a canter, Rick squeezed Brandy's sides with his legs, and the horse immediately moved up a stride for him.

The horse's hooves thundered against the grass beneath them as they cantered along the pastures, and Rick couldn't help the smile that lit up his features.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop, another chapter!

Rick was fascinated, and he shouldn't be.

He was by the arena and had been spending his afternoon grooming the horses. He was up to Maggie's horse Honey, a pretty palomino quarter horse.

Daryl was working the arena in front of him, he was with a client's horse that had been dropped off earlier that morning. According to his owner, Zeus was meant to be a professional barrel racing horse, but he couldn't make it around the first barrel as he continued to miss it, turning too late.

Rick had tacked the horse up for Daryl, found that he was a little nervous when it came to putting on the bridle, holding his head high and snorting. It took Rick three tries and many soothing words to calm the gelding enough for him to be able to slide the leather onto his head and the bit into his mouth. He had told Daryl as such, and the man had nodded thoughtfully, thanked Rick, and then led Zeus into the arena.

Rick, as he groomed the horses, watched as Daryl warmed up Zeus, and then attempted to take him around the barrels four times, and he missed the first barrel each time, running past it like he couldn't even see it. Rick's brows raised as the thought entered his head, and he called for Daryl to come over, who was walking Zeus in circles.

"What's up?" Daryl asked as he came to a stop in front of him, stroking Zeus' neck.

Rick stopped grooming Honey and rested his arms on the railing of the arena, "I don't think he can see the first barrel. He goes around the second two almost perfectly, he knows what he's supposed to do, except when it comes to that first one," Rick said, hoping that it was okay for him to give him input and that Daryl would find him irritating.

"Yeah, I was thinkin' that too," Daryl replied nodding, "He's lifting his head too high, there's no way he could see it with where his line of vision is at. The problem is that run to the first barrel. He gets too excited, he's lowered it again by the time he gets to the second two,"

"So, what does that make the next step?" Rick asked.

Daryl sighed, "He's got to learn to keep his head down and just to relax. He's a tense thing," He said and petted Zeus' neck affectionately.

Rick hummed, "Well, let me know if you need help with anything,"

"Thanks," Daryl said gratefully, "You turning up tonight?" He asked.

"The dinner right?"

"Mhm, six o'clock," Daryl nodded, "Aaron and Paul will be there with Gracie, Maggie, and her family. Carol and hers, and another friend,"

Rick sighed and thought for a moment, and then nodded, "Sure, me and Carl will be there,"

Daryl smiled. A smile that Rick found adorable, it was closed lipped, but it caused small crinkles to form by the man's eyes, "Great. We'll all be in the backyard so you can come through the house,"

Rick nodded in understanding and smiled back, Daryl then proceeded to turn Zeus and make his way along the arena fence.

 

* * *

 

Rick hurried up the stairs as fast as he possibly could, his boots making heavy thumping noises against the wooden stairs as he climbed them. He was running late to get to Daryl's family dinner, he had been right on track until Zeus had decided to be a right pain in the ass, he got spooked by the sound of the metal gate slamming closed against the post and had bolted up the paddock.

He attempted to jump a fence, but it was clear that wasn't where his talents lied and his back feet got caught on the top wire and brought down three of the posts. Someone would have to fix it in the morning. Unfortunately, the paddock that Zeus had broken into was much larger, and he was able to run much farther away.

After going after him for what was almost forty minutes, Rick finally managed to get the halter and lead rope onto the gelding and lead him out of the paddock and into his stall.

When Rick got into the apartment, he found Carl sitting on the couch in front of the TV, he was wearing his blue headset and was playing some sort of game on the TV.

"Carl," Rick called as he pulled off his boots, the teenager didn't hear him, so Rick came up behind him and tapped him on the head.

Carl immediately paused his game and pulled his headphones off, "Oh, hey, are we going?" He asked.

Rick sighed, "I need to shower and change, I'll be about fifteen minutes, make sure you're ready when I come out," He told him and then hurried past him towards his bedroom to collect a change of clothes and shower.

 

* * *

 

"Carl, let's go," Rick said as he walked back into the main area of the apartment. He was freshly showered wearing clean blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and he had put some wax in his hair, so he was able to style his curls a bit better.

Carl stood up immediately from where he was on the couch and grabbed his jacket from the coffee table before following Rick out the door.

"So, who's going to be there?" Carl asked as they made their way down the stairs.

Rick shrugged, "I'm not exactly sure, Daryl's friends. I want you to meet, Jesus, you know Aaron?" Rick replied, looking over at his son who was shrugging on his jacket. They were outside now, and it was cold.

"Yeah, I met him yesterday,"

"Okay, well, Jesus is Aaron's husband, and he'll be your art teacher," Rick informed his son. He looked over at him, curious as to what his reaction would be to Aaron having a husband. They had lived in Atlanta, so there were plenty of gay people around, but he doesn't recall, him, Carl, or Lori actually knowing a gay couple.

Carl was quiet for a few moments, the only sound was their shoes crunching against the gravel beneath them, "Huh, I wouldn't have picked that for Aaron," He said.

Rick frowned a little, "Gay people don't always follow stereotypes, Carl," He said, he should know, he didn't exactly scream bisexual.

"Oh, yeah, of course, I know that," Carl quickly clarified, glancing over at him, "It's just… I was helping Aaron groom the horses for like two hours, and we talked the entire time. He didn't mention anything about a husband,"

Rick hummed, deciding that was a fair enough answer, "Okay. He and Jesus have a daughter too, her name's Gracie, I think she's about four,"

"Is there any other little kids?" Carl asked, a little grin on his face.

Carl's grin was contagious, and Rick felt it cause another pull at his lips. Carl had always loved little kids, thought they were hilarious and found them good fun.

Rick furrowed his brows as he attempted to think back to his and Daryl's conversation earlier that day when he had told him what people were coming, "Uh, Daryl said Maggie and her family, but I don't know if she has kids. Carol's son is a bit younger than you, but her daughter, Sophia, I think, is in your year,"

Carl nodded, "I'll try and talk to her then. It wouldn't suck to know somebody when I go to school tomorrow,"

"Speaking of school, do you want to catch the bus tomorrow, or have me drop you since it's your first day?" Rick asked.

Carl thought it over for a few moments, "Um… Drop me off maybe, if that's okay," He said, biting at his fingernail.

"Of course it's okay," Rick said as they came up to the house, Rick holding the gate open for Carl to walk through.

They walked up the porch steps, and Rick pushed the door open.

"Shouldn't you knock first?" Carl asked, hesitant to just step inside like Rick did.

Rick shook his head, and motioned for Carl to follow him inside, "No, Daryl said that everyone would be outside in the backyard and nobody would hear us if we knocked, he said just to walk right in and go through the house to the backyard,"

"Oh, okay," The teenager replied as they walked through the house.

Rick noted that the house was cluttered, in sweet, homey sort of way. All the furniture was wooden, and it looked like a classic ranch house on the inside. There were trophies, plenty of medals and ribbons. There were framed photos everywhere also, some of people, and many had horses and other animals.

Rick noticed that there was a crossbow hung up on the brick wall by the TV. Beyond the family room, was a glass sliding door that opened onto a deck, and they both approached it.

"You ready?" Rick asked as he grabbed the handle of the door.

"Yeah," Carl replied, tucking his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and grinning at him.

Rick grinned back, and then opened the door and stepped out onto the wooden deck, Carl following along behind him.

He looked out at the backyard and found an array of people, along with a few dogs. Rick could see the German Sheppard looking dog and a blue roan cattle dog chasing each other around on the grass.

He could spot Carol by the barbecue talking to a dark-skinned man with grey locks. Maggie was chatting to Jesus and Aaron around a fire pit, and that was all Rick could make out from where he was standing.

Rick made his way to the porch stairs, and stepped down them, keeping his eyes peeled for Daryl. He still couldn't see him anyway, so he decided to head over to Maggie and the others while he waited for him to show up.

"Hey, Rick, Carl," Maggie greeted when she saw them, waving with one hand and raising her beer bottle to her lips with the other.

"Hey, Maggie," Rick greeted, then looking to the two men, "How're you two?" He asked.

Jesus smiled and reached his hand up to brush his fingers over Aaron's hair, "We're great, there's nothing like free beer and good company," He said.

"That and Daryl's amazing cooking. His potato bake is quite literally to die for," Aaron added, leaning into Paul's touch.

Rick chuckled, "I look forward to it," He said, and then motioned to Carl, "Jesus, this is my son I was telling you about,"

Jesus leaned forward in his seat and held his hand out for Carl to shake, which he did, "Hey, Carl. Nice to meet you, so I'll be seeing you in my class on Monday?"

Carl nodded and released Jesus' hand, tucking it back into his pocket, "Yeah, I'll be there,"

"Well, I look forward to it," Jesus told him.

"Rick! Carl!" Someone was suddenly calling out, and Rick looked over to find Carol facing them and waving her hand to motion him over.

Rick grinned and placed his hand on Carl's shoulder, "That's Carol, okay? She'll probably want to introduce her to her daughter. Tell her I'll be over in a minute,"

He noticed Carl swallow thickly, and then nod, and Rick patted his back as he stepped forward to head over to the grey-haired woman.

Rick watched him go, and then squatted down by Jesus' chair, "Hey," He said.

Jesus quirked a brow at him, "Hey," He replied, folding his hands in his lap, "What's up?"

"I want to ask you a favor," Rick said. Hearing a giggle, he looked over and found Gracie playing with an absolutely massive dog, a Saint Bernard by the looks of it.

Jesus nodded, and Rick knew that Aaron and Maggie were also listening in, "Sure," he said.

"Can you keep a bit of an eye on Carl at school?" Rick asked, rubbing his jaw with the palm of his hand and looking over at Carl who was now happily chatting with Carol and a tall girl with strawberry blonde hair, Rick guessed that it must be Sophia, Carol's daughter.

Jesus nodded, "Of course," He replied, "Any particular reason why?"

Rick sighed and tore his eyes away from Carl to look at Jesus again, "This is all in confidence, yeah?" He said, glancing at Maggie and Aaron.

Maggie cleared her throat and stood up, holding out her hand for Aaron, "Come on, let's go check on the kids," she said.

Aaron nodded and smiled at Rick as he took Maggie's hand and allowed her to help him get to his feet. They both waved and then headed off in search of Gracie, and possibly Maggie's child, Rick wasn't sure if she had one or not.

Jesus watched them leave and then looked Rick in the eye, "Go ahead," he said.

"Well, Carl's gone through a lot in the past year, me and his mother divorced, I nearly died, his mother died… you obviously noticed the eyepatch, he lost his eye to cancer," Rick began.

Jesus frowned, "Sounds like a tough year," He said.

Rick nodded, "He's had some problems with his mental health," He said, "Back at his old school, he started to get bullied after he lost his eye, drifted away from his friends. Just… If you get let me know if you notice anything's wrong, or anyone's giving him shit,"

"Of course," Jesus said, smiling comfortingly, "It's a good school, usually the only trouble with kids is just arguments between friend groups, but I'll keep an eye out for anyone that tries to have a go at him,"

Rick nodded, "Thank you. Really, it means a lot. I can't help worrying about him, after everything especially,"

Jesus waved his hand and stood up, "No worries, I understand. Gracie goes to Pony Club, and another kid there made fun of her when she came off her pony once, man, I'd never been so pissed off in my life,"

Rick chuckled, "Trust me, if it wouldn't of made it worse for Carl, I would have gone right up to those piece of shit kids and let them know exactly what I thought of them," He replied, he remembered the day Carl told him about the bullies. How he had bit his lip hard to try and stop himself from crying, giving in and crying into Rick's shirt when he pulled him in for a hug.

"I better go check on my kid too, I'll see you later," Jesus said a few moments later, patting him on the shoulder and heading over to where Gracie was with Aaron, still with the Saint Bernard.

Rick nodded and then headed over to Carl who was still with Carol.

Carol smiled when she saw him and stepped towards him to wrap her arms around him and pull him into a hug, "It's so good to see you again!" She said and gave him a firm squeeze.

"You too," Rick chirped, pecking her cheek as they pulled apart.

She motioned out to her daughter, who was stood with Carl and watching them with a smile, "This is my oldest, Sophia," Carol introduced him, and Rick shook her hand.

"Hi, Sophia, nice to meet you," He greeted her.

She smiled, "You too, Rick, I'm guessing," She replied, and Rick nodded in confirmation.

"So," Carol said, wrapping an arm around Sophia's waist, "How do you like it out here?" She asked.

Rick grinned, "It's great, honestly. Definitely glad we made the move, eh?" Rick said, patting Carl on the shoulder.

Carol grinned and folded her arms over his chest, "Back in that coffee shop, I told you I could solve all of your problems didn't I?"

Rick chuckled, "Well, maybe not all of them, but you sure as hell put a dent in them,"

Carol laughed, "You know what? That's good enough for me," She said, and the smile on her face and the way she spoke showed Rick that she really hadn't changed all that much back from when they were lab partners in their senior year of high school.

"Where's your husband?" he asked, "I'd love to meet him,"

"Oh, he's with Michonne and Glenn," She said, taking him by the arm and beginning to lead him across the grass. Rick grinned when he looked over his shoulder and found that Carl had stayed behind and was chatting with Sophia.

Carol led him to a corner of the backyard where a picnic table was, three people, sitting around the table. They all had drinks either in their hands or sat on the table in front of them. The man with the locks was at the table, along with a woman wearing a strapless maxi dress, who also had locks, and an Asian man who Rick noticed was very handsome.

"Everyone," Carol said when they came to a stop in front of the table, and all three people looked up at them, "This is Rick, the new stable hand. Rick, this is my husband Ezekiel," She said, motioning to the man with the dreadlocks, "Maggie's husband Glenn, and this is Michonne,"

"Hey everyone," Rick greeted.

"Rick," Glenn said, "We've heard good things so far,"

Rick smiled, wondering what Daryl had said about him, "Well, I intend to make sure it stays good things that are being said about me,"

The three laughed, "Not to worry, you seem like a good guy," Michonne said.

Ezekiel chuckled then, swallowing a mouthful of his beer, "Well, from some of the high school stories Carol's told me, looks like you had some very fun times," He said, a wide grin spread over his lips.

Rick sent Carol a look, and she smirked at him, "Shall we recount a few stories from our glory days, Rick?" Carol asked as she sat down by Ezekiel.

"Oh god," Rick said, rubbing between his brow, but sat himself down because there was nothing like bonding over drunken shenanigans.

 

* * *

 

It was an hour later when Rick finally saw Daryl. Dinner had finished cooking and had been served, Rick was back at the camper chairs around the fire pit with Jesus, Aaron, Glenn, and Maggie. They all had plates in their laps, except for Maggie who had her son in her lap. Maggie had introduced him to Hershel who was the same age as Gracie, he was a sweet boy, but a little shy. Maggie assured him that he'd warm up to him soon.

Daryl had appeared beside them and sat himself down in the spare chair beside Rick's, placing a plate in his lap and shoving a mouthful of potato bake into his mouth.

"Hey," Rick greeted him, "Where have you been? Me and Carl have been here for over an hour, and I haven't seen you anywhere," He said, meeting his eyes and smiling at him.

Daryl swallowed his mouthful and smiled back, "Sorry, I was off playing with Hershel," He said, motioning to the array of toys that were laid out on the grass on the other side of the backyard, Rick quirked his eyebrows when he noticed that Carl was sat on a wooden bench with a girl, she had shoulder dark length brunette hair, but that's all Rick could make out.

Rick looked back to Daryl after a few moments, "No worries, I was chatting with Carol and getting acquainted with everyone,"

Daryl hummed, and then moved his legs to the side when Gracie was suddenly appearing and making her way past him, "Hi Uncle Daryl," She said, and then hurried over to Jesus, plate in hand.

"Hey, sweetie," Daryl greeted her, taking a few more mouthfuls of his food.

Gracie stopped by Jesus and held her plate out to him, "Papa, can you please cut my chicken?" She asked sweetly.

"Sure, sweetheart," Jesus replied and handed his own plate to Aaron so that he could take Gracie's.

Rick grinned at how cute she was. She had on blue overalls with a white t-shirt underneath, and her long hair was in pigtails.

Rick turned and looked at Daryl, "She calls you Uncle, that's cute," He said, grinning playfully at the younger man.

Daryl chuckled softly, and Rick caught the flush of red that dusted his cheeks.

"She's my goddaughter," Daryl began, "And Hershel's my godson. I've always loved kids," he said.

"Do you have any of your own?" Rick asked, and sure he hadn't seen any around the ranch, but Daryl's kids may not live with him.

Daryl shook his head, "Nah," He replied, and he looked over at him, "Never been in the right relationship for it, you know?"

Rick nodded, "I get that. I was only twenty-one when Carl was born, so I wasn't exactly ready for it, but I can't imagine not having him now,"

Daryl smiled, "He's an awesome kid," he said.

Rick hummed in agreement, and at the mention of his son, looked back over to where he was sitting with the girl, "Who is that?" Rick asked Daryl.

Daryl turned his head to see who Rick meant, "Oh, that's Enid. She's in his year too, works here on weekends and some afternoons after school. She's Glenn and Maggie's foster kid,"

Rick nodded, he hadn't been aware that Maggie and Glenn had a foster child, but he immediately felt more respect for them after learning that they had. Rick and Lori had tried to foster a child three years ago, it had been Rick's idea, and something he had wanted for a long, long time. Lori had hated the idea but agreed to trial it.

The fostering lasted three months before Lori couldn't handle it anymore, and the child was put back in the system. Rick had been devastated, the boy's name had been Calum, and he was five years old, would be eight now. Rick and Calum had bonded, and watching the social worker drive away with the child he was starting to consider his second son, broke his heart.

He chose Lori over him, her happiness instead of his own. She had manipulated him into thinking that he was spending all his time with Calum and not with Carl, that he was neglecting Carl for Calum, that he cared about him more. He knew now that that wasn't true, Carl had loved Calum just as much as he had.

Looking back on his life, that had always been one of his biggest regrets.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and tried to blink away the tears that stirred in his eyes.

"You okay?" Daryl asked.

Rick smiled at him and nodded, "Yeah, I am," he replied, and Daryl looked at him a few moments longer, his brows furrowed and a frown on his lips, but he eventually nodded and went back to eating.

 

* * *

  

"Carl! Come on!" Rick called out, he was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Carl to join him.

It was Monday morning, and Rick had to drop Carl to school before he was meant to start working again at eight-thirty.

"I'm coming!" Carl shouted back, and Rick could hear him running around the apartment above for a few minutes before he finally appeared at the top of the stairs and charged down them.

Rick sighed, and the two of them started towards Rick SUV, Rick waving at Aaron who was working on a bike near the storage shed, "Come on, you can't be late for your first day," he said as they both climbed into the car and buckled their seatbelts.

"Yeah, I know," Carl replied, and Rick put the car in drive.

 

* * *

 

 

They arrived at the school twenty minutes later, and Rick parked out the front.

"I'm meeting Enid out the front here, she sent me a text saying she's waiting," Carl told him, typing on his phone for a second before tucking it into his pants.

"Okay," Rick replied, grinning a little because Carl already seemed to be developing a little crush on Enid. He had talked about her for ages the previous night when they had gotten back to the barn.

"I'll see you this afternoon," Carl replied, smiling at him, "Enid catches the same bus as me, so she can show me what one to get on,"

Rick nodded, "Okay. I'll see you then," He said, returning the smile as Carl opened the car door, and stepped out, "Hey, Carl?" Rick said before he closed the door.

"Yeah?" Carl answered, maneuvering his backpack on.

"If you need to come home, let me know, and I will come and get you. I won't be mad," Rick told him firmly. He wanted to make sure that Carl knew that he was there if he needed him, that it was okay if it was too much.

Carl smiled softly at him, "Okay, dad," He said, "I love you, see you later,"

"Love you," Rick replied, and Carl shut the door. Rick sighed heavily and put the car back in drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What ya'll think about that little reveal of Calum? It won't be the last time we hear about him...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter for me to get back into this story... sorry for the little break that I took.

Rick panted a little as he carried the saddles over to the horses that he had tied to the arena fence, which was the usual place that everyone on the ranch tied their horses to tack them up.

Usually, the saddles didn't feel that heavy and were fine to carry, but it was a bit of a hot day despite it being the start of October. Rick always shook his head at that, he'd already been working on Daryl's ranch for almost a month and seems to have just flown by.

He grunted softly as he threw the saddles of the fence rails, shaking out his arms after he did. Brandy snorted softly, and he jumped slightly when he felt her nibbling at his ass cheek in an attempt to see if he had any treats for her in the back pocket of his jeans, which he didn't.

He turned around and chuckled as he scratched her nose, "Cheeky girl, hmm?" he said, and she bent her head down lower when he started rubbing her ears, as it was her favorite place to get a good scratch. He did so for a few minutes before turning back to her saddle and grabbing it, "We've got work to do," he said to her, not minding that he was talking to a horse, everyone else around the ranch seemed to do the same, "Just waiting for Daryl to finish up,"

Rick looked up to watch Daryl as he placed Brandy's saddle on her back. The man was in the arena and working with a new horse that a client had dropped off that morning. The horse's problem was that it misbehaved very often, and was becoming too dangerous to ride, so of course, Daryl immediately decided to ride it.

Brandy relaxed her back hoof as Rick began tightening the girth on her saddle, and Rick rubbed a hand over her buckskin coat as he grabbed her bridle. He took off the mare's halter and replaced it with the bridle before moving on to tacking up Teddy.

He had just finished up the pinto gelding and was watching Daryl work with the new horse when for whatever reason, the animal reared up beneath Daryl. Rick gasped in fear and surprise, Daryl stayed on for the rear, but when the horse landed, it gave a very feisty buck that had Daryl lurching in the saddle, and he finally came off when the horse quickly spun around, and he lost his balance.

Rick winced at the sight and sound of the man's body hitting the sand arena floor, and he very quickly climbed through the arena fence and sprinted over to Daryl who was beginning to stand up. The horse trotted over to the opposite arena fence and promptly came to a stop.

Rick met Daryl just a moment later and immediately dropped to his knees beside the man who had sat back up and was groaning as he held his shoulder, rubbing it over the material of his red flannel.

"Shit," the younger man said, a grimace on his face.

Rick grabbed the man by his waist, "Fuck, are you okay?" he asked, a worried frown on his face as he looked at Daryl.

Daryl grunted but nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just leave a couple of bruises and be painful as shit when I wake up tomorrow morning," the man replied and rolled his shoulder.

"That was a nasty fall," Rick said, "Are you sure that nothing's broken or fractured?"

Daryl chuckled a little and nodded, "No broken bones, and I can still hear out of my right ear," he replied, and Rick suddenly remembered that the man had told him he was deaf in his left ear a few weeks ago.

Rick laughed a little too, it was good to see that Daryl was able to make jokes about it, Rick hoped that one day when Carl wasn't so insecure about losing his eye, that he could make jokes too, "Alright, that's a bonus then isn't it?" he said.

Daryl snorted and then began to stand up, "Big bonus," he replied and allowed Rick to help him stand.

With Daryl stood in front of him, Rick noticed that the man was just a tiny bit taller than him and that with how close they were standing, he had a perfect view of his face. The man's nose was a tiny bit crooked at the bottom, and Rick wondered if it was from him breaking it at some point previous and it wasn't set correctly. His cheekbones were high and prominent, and Rick found himself with the desire to run his thumbs over him.

What really got Rick though, was Daryl's eyes. They had a beautiful ocean blue color and were looking right into his own, appearing a little confused. Realizing that he had been staring for a while, while holding Daryl's bicep with one hand, and his waist with the other, Rick's cheeks flushed a furious red and heated up, and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and then stepped back from the man, patting down his own shirt which had gotten dirt on it from the saddles, "Sorry," he mumbled.

Daryl coughed softly and then began walking, "It's fine, I just need to catch the horse and get back on, then we can go fix those fences," he said as he began carefully approaching the horse that had just thrown him, the animal seeming to have calmed down in the past few moments.

Rick nodded in understanding; his grandfather had taught him that at a young age. If a horse ever throws you off, or you come off at your own fault, then the only time you shouldn't get back on is if you're heading to the hospital. Rick had always obeyed the rule, even once actually got back on the horse first before letting his mother drive him to the hospital to look at his wrist, which as it turned out, he had broken.

Rick walked back to the side of the arena fence where he had tied up Brandy and Teddy and slipped through the wooden railing to quickly check their tack. He propped his elbows up on the fence once he was through it, and his keen eyes watched as Daryl mounted the horse again.

Rick wondered if he was scared at all, or if falling off and getting back on was like second nature to the man by now. He knew that he, always had his heart pounding in his chest and angry butterflies swirling in his stomach whenever he had gotten back on after his fall.

Daryl took a few moments to collect himself, Rick watching as he adjusted his hold on the reins and rolled his sore shoulder once more before he encouraged the horse to walk.

Daryl rode the horse for another ten minutes after he fell off, letting the animal know that it wasn't going to get away with that with him. His owner had mentioned several times that when he threw her off, she was too frightened to get back on; Daryl had said that that had taught him that he could get away with it and would continue to do it unless he was shown some manners.

When Daryl finished riding, Rick waited a little while longer while the man untacked the horse and let it out in the pasture, aimlessly scrolling through his Facebook while he waited.

"Alright, you ready?" Daryl asked when he returned, both arms folded over his chest and a smear of dirt on his cheek from when he had landed on the arena floor.

Rick nodded and put his phone away in Brandy's saddlebag, "Yeah, let's go," he replied and proceeded to untie the mare, Daryl doing the same with Teddy.

Rick mounted Brandy in just a few seconds and turned to watch Daryl do the same with Teddy. He noticed that the other man winced as he used his shoulder to pull himself into the saddle.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Rick pressed, "If you need to take a break it's fine, I can get the fences done by myself, it'll just take me a bit longer,"

Daryl shook his head, "I'll be fine," He replied and moved Teddy into a trot towards the gate that would lead them to the pastures they needed to get to, and Rick immediately followed behind him, "I've had falls a whole lot worse, today's nothing," he said.

Rick sighed, but nodded, deciding it wasn't worth the fight.

 

* * *

  

By the time the two of them stopped for their lunch break, Rick's face was flushed red with exertion and maybe a bit of sunburn, and his shirt was clinging to his back with sweat.

Daryl was in a similar state, and currently jugging down some of his water. The horses were tied to the fence posts a little further down and appeared to be snoozing, and Rick wished that he could be in their place, he hadn't slept well the previous night and was exhausted.

Rick pulled out a sandwich and handed it to Daryl before grabbing another for himself and tearing into it, the taste of ham, tomato, and cheese filling his mouth.

"So," Daryl said after having had several bites of his own sandwich, wiping at the loose crumbs around his mouth with the back old his hand, "How's Carl been doing at school?" he asked.

Rick nodded and swallowed his current mouthful before answering, "Really good actually," Rick replied, a small smile forming on his lips, "He's making really good friends with Enid, Sophia and the other's in their group, and he definitely has the biggest crush on Enid," he told Daryl, laughing softly as he looked out at the land in front of him.

Daryl snorted, "Yeah, you can tell. Whenever she's at the ranch, puppy eyes the entire time," he said.

Rick smirked, "Definitely," he said, "She seems like a great girl though, they'd be a good match. He's never had a proper girlfriend before, so it'd be interesting to see how it goes,"

"First relationships, always an adventure,"

Rick hummed in agreement, "That's the truth. Lori was my second serious relationship, the first, man I thought the world revolved around her. I used to sneak out to see her of a night, did whatever she wanted…" he said, thinking back to the pretty girl with red hair, "Was love-sick,"

Daryl chuckled and looked at him for a moment, "You seem like an all or nothing kinda guy," he thought aloud.

Rick looked back and didn't know if Daryl's cheeks were flushed from the heat, or from what he had just said. Rick brought himself to grin, "You could say that, and you do too," he replied.

"I know I am," Daryl replied softly and brought his thumb up to his mouth to nervously chew at a hangnail, "Bites me in the ass though,"

"How do you mean?" Rick asked, frowning slightly as he stretched his legs out in front of him.

"Three-year relationship, cheated on," Daryl replied quietly, not wanting to give any more detail, and Rick didn't need him to, he understood the pain of Daryl's few words just fine.

"Don't I fucking know how that feels," Rick grunted, rubbing at some sweat on his brows and sighing heavily.

"Fuckin' sucks,"

"It really does,"

They both remained silent for a while after that, it wasn't until they were on their third sandwich each that Rick spoke again.

"So, Daryl," he said, having a swig of his water before continuing, "How'd owning the farm come about?" he asked.

"I inherited it," Daryl answered, "It used to be my grandparents; they died when I was twenty-one, and it was left to me. There wasn't nothing but the old house and land, I pulled down the old house, and lived in a tent while I slowly built the new house over the next year. I built this place from that to where it is now," he answered.

Rick raised his brows and nodded, "That's very impressive," he thought aloud, "I'm sorry about your grandparents,"

Daryl shrugged, "I didn't even know 'em. Hadn't seen 'em since I was a really little kid, for whatever reason I was in their will though, and I appreciate the hell out of that, cause I was able to build a life for myself, get nearly everything I wanted," he said, staring off into the distance as he spoke.

Rick watched him, fascinated how the wind blew strands of his hair across his face, and it didn't seem to bother the man in the slightest, "What do you want that you don't have?" he asked curiously, his voice soft as he hoped that he wasn't crossing a line.

"Someone to have that life with, I guess," Daryl mumbled, looking over at him and meeting his eyes for just a moment before he sighed heavily and stood up, dusting off his ass before walking back over to the fence that they had been mending.

Rick looked at him for a few moments before he got up too, putting away the remains of their lunch before joining Daryl at the fence.  


* * *

 

"How many pieces of chicken do you want?" Rick asked as he served out his and Carl's dinner.

Carl looked up at him from where he was sat at the dining table and texting someone (Probably Enid) on his phone, "Uh… two please," he replied, giving him a smile.

Rick nodded and placed two cuts of chicken on Carl's plate alongside his mash potatoes and veggies.

The water for Carl and a beer for Rick was already on the table, along with the cutlery, so Rick just needed to take the plates when he joined his son.

He Carl's plate down in front of the teenager and ruffled his hair before sitting in the chair opposite him, and immediately having a sip of his beer while Carl shoved a mouthful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"How was school today?" Rick asked as he began cutting his chicken into smaller pieces, Carl putting his salt on his own and then doing the same.

"Good. I really like Art, Jesus is a good teacher, he's fun and carefree, you know?" He answered him.

"That's good," Rick replied, "Is it weird to call him Jesus around here and then to have to call him Mr. Rovia at school?" he questioned.

Carl laughed and nodded, "Yeah it is. I keep calling him Jesus on accident," he replied.

"What about the other kids, still getting along with them?" Rick asked after a few moments, the sound of forks scrapping along the plates making him cringe.

Carl nodded, "Yeah, they're great," he answered around a mouthful of chicken, wiping at some stray gravy around his mouth. Rick hoped that he had more manners while out in public.

"That's really good, Carl," Rick said, smiling at his son.

Carl smiled back, "I have a favor to ask," he then said.

Rick raised a brow at him, "What's that?" he asked curiously.

"Could I borrow some money?" Carl asked, biting his lip nervously.

"What do you need money for?" Rick asked, "And how much?"

The teenager sat up a little straighter, "Fifty bucks," he answered, "I uh… I asked Enid out to the movies this weekend, and she said yes, but I don't have any money to pay for the tickets…" he mumbled, his cheeks flushing a little.

Rick smiled softly, "Okay, sure," he said, deciding that he could spare fifty bucks for his kid to go on his first date.

"Thanks!" Carl exclaimed excitedly, "But don't tell Enid that I had to ask you," he added a moment later, sounding concerned.

Rick snorted and shook his head, "Wouldn't dream of it,"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have officially planned out every chapter for this story! You can see that a chapter number has been added up the top, and I hope the fact that there'll be a lot more chapters to come excites you!

Rick's back protested as he leaned down to scoop up a collection of bedding and manure onto his shovel. He'd been cleaning the horse's stalls in the stable since early morning, and he was on his third last one before he was done and was able to take his lunch break and give his aching back a break.

He turned around and threw the shovelful into the wheelbarrow that stood behind him, and he let out a groan as he did, proceeding to place the shovel down and place a hand on his lower back.

"What's the matter with you?" Came Daryl's voice from the entrance to the stall.

Rick turned around to face the rancher and gave him a smile. Even though it was barely noon, the rancher looked like he hadn't showered in several days. His hair was sticking to his face with sweat and natural grease, and his clothes were covered in mud and dirt.

"Hey," Rick greeted him, "Looks like you've had a busy morning," he said, looking the man up and down with a smirk.

Daryl smirked back, "Been working in the pig pen with Aaron, and then on my truck. You don't exactly look daisy fresh either, Grimes," he replied, folding his muscular arms over his chest.

Rick admired them for a moment before meeting the younger man's eyes, and he hummed softly, "Well, horse shit is a good way to get dirty," he said.

Daryl snorted, "True. Anyway, what's wrong with your back?"

Rick sighed and shrugged, "I'm not sure, I might have slept on it wrong, and then just cleaning out these stalls hasn't helped," he answered.

Daryl nodded in understanding, "I can finish up these last ones if you want to go and have your lunch break and have a rest?" he offered.

Rick shook his head, "No it's okay. I've almost finished this one and then only got two more, I can manage," he said, grateful for the man's consideration.

"You sure?" Daryl pressed. Rick nodded and smiled before readjusting the grip on his shovel and scooping up another load. "Alright then," Daryl said, and then cleared his throat, "Listen, I'm going out with some friends tonight, you want to come?"

Rick looked over his shoulder to meet his eyes, "Sure," he immediately replied, his lips spreading in a wide grin, "Where'd we be going?"

"Just to one of the bars in town. I can drive us, save's taking two cars," Daryl suggested, biting at the hangnails around his thumb.

"Sounds great,"

"Okay," Daryl replied, and Rick could just make out a bit of a flush on the man's cheeks, "Meet you at my car at eight then?"

"I'll see you then," Rick answered, and Daryl nodded before spinning on his heels and leaving the stable.

 

* * *

  

Rick was doing up the buttons on his shirt and reading a text message on his phone from one of his old friends back in Atlanta as he did when Carl could be heard coming up the stairs.

As it was a Friday, the boy had decided to go out to the movies with some friends after school and to a bowling alley.

The teenager entered the apartment a few moments later and shrugged his coat off.

"Hey," he greeted as he walked over to the couch and dropped down.

"Hey," Rick replied and tucked his phone into the pocket of his jeans, "Did you have fun?" he asked.

Carl nodded and gave him a smile before looking him up and down, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I'm going out to a bar with Daryl and some of the others to a bar. Are you okay to be here on your own for a few hours?" he asked, looking at his son.

Carl hummed and reached for the remote, "Yeah, I'm just going to play some video games and then go to sleep," he said, "Go have fun," a playful grin spread over his lips.

Rick grinned back and walked over to him, "Alright," he said and leaned down over the couch to get to him, he placed a hand on his shoulder and kissed the top of his head, "I'll text you when I'm on my way home,"

"See you later. Love you," Carl replied.

"Love you too!" Rick called as he made his way out of the apartment and down the stairs.

He took a few moments to pet Frey, who was in her stall for the night; scratching behind the donkey's ears the way she liked. He done up the zip on his coat and finally left the barn, sliding the heavy door closed behind him before walking towards Daryl's truck which was parked at the fence in front of his house.

Rick could see that the truck's light was on, so that meant that Daryl was already inside and waiting for him.

Rick pulled the passenger side door open when he reached it, and climbed inside, being greeted by the warm air of the heater.

"Hey," Daryl greeted him, placing his phone away and turning the car on.

"Hi," Rick replied, putting on his seatbelt, "I'm sorry for being late, I got a bit caught up," he said as Daryl began to reverse the car.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Daryl said.

"Great," Rick replied, smiling as he leaned back in his seat, resting his hands in his lap, "So, what bar are we going to?" he asked.

Daryl was quiet for a moment, biting at his lower lip, "About that…" he started, and Rick turned his head to look at him, "They've all decided that they want to go to the gay bar… so, you okay with that?"

Rick immediately chuckled, "Yeah, of course. No worries," he answered, after all, he'd been in them a couple of times before.

"Doesn't make you uncomfortable?"

"Nope,"

"Okay,"

Rick smirked a little, "So, who's going tonight?" he asked.

"Aaron and Paul obviously," he started, "And there are Tara and Rosita too, they've been away on their honeymoon, so they haven't made it to the last couple of Sunday barbecues,"

"I look forward to meeting them," Rick said, "After all, everyone else that I've met around here has been great,"

"Most people around here are pretty great, a couple of assholes here and there, but other than that,"

Rick laughed, and they turned off of Daryl's property and onto the main road, "Well, I'm yet to come across an asshole,"

"You'll see Paul stressed out soon enough, that does it," Daryl replied with a playful smirk on his face.

Rick hummed, "We're all a bit of an asshole when we're stressed aren't we?" he said.

Daryl nodded in agreement, "That is true,"

 

* * *

 

They arrived at the bar almost half an hour later, and Daryl spent a few minutes finding a parking spot before they both exited the car.

"Aaron's texted saying they're already inside and in a booth, so we'll just stop at the bar and get some drinks and then find them," Daryl told him as they walked across the street and then down the street to the entrance to the bar. It was easy to see as the roof and windows were lined with rainbow flashing lights.

"Sounds good," Rick replied.

They reached the entrance to the bar, and Daryl grabbed the door and held it open for a woman and a very flamboyant man who thanked him profusely and called Daryl gorgeous, making the rancher laugh and greet the man by name. Once the pair were inside, Daryl continued to hold the door open for Rick, who grinned.

"Thank you," he said as he stepped pass Daryl and into the bar, the man appearing beside him just moments later.

Daryl placed a hand on Rick's lower back and began walking, leading Rick through the crowd and to the bar. Rick flushed at the contact, but stuck close to the man, grinning at the people around them who seemed to be having the times of their lives as they danced and laughed.

They reached the bar a few minutes later, and both came to a stop, Daryl removing his hand from Rick's back and resting both of his elbows on top of the wooden surface of the bar.

"What do you want?" Daryl asked, turning his head and looking at him, his bangs falling in front of his face, and the dance floor's lights casting colors over his face.

"Rum and coke!" Rick shouted, making sure the man could hear him over the commotion of the bar.

Daryl nodded and turned back to the bar. Moments later, a man reached them, he appeared to be young, and was quite cute, "What can I get for you gorgeous?" he asked, and Daryl leaned over the counter further so he could hear him.

"A rum and coke and a beer," Daryl ordered, and the man nodded and disappeared to get their drinks.

"Does every gay guy around here call you gorgeous instead of Daryl?" Rick asked with a smirk as he folded his arms over his chest.

The rancher grinned as he leaned back against the bar, "Most of 'em," he joked, pushing some hair out of his face.

Really, Rick could understand why; he thought Daryl was quite gorgeous too.

The bartender appeared with their drinks moments later, and Daryl tipped him before handing Rick his drink and beginning to walk again, Rick immediately following behind him so that he didn't lose him in the crowd.

They reached the boots not long after and walked through them slowly until Daryl found them and sped up.

Rick smirked a little when they reached the booth, two women were on one side and chatting happily while holding hands (both with glinting wedding rings), and Aaron and Jesus sat on the other side; the two of them making out with Jesus not so subtly groping Aaron's ass.

"Can't the two of ya'll leave that for the bedroom?" Daryl asked as he slid into the booth beside the two women.

Jesus and Aaron pulled apart, and Jesus smirked, "Just 'cause you're not getting any," he said and reached for his drink.

Daryl snorted and then motioned for Rick to sit down. He did so, placing his rum and coke down on the table before sitting down on the leather cushion beside Aaron.

"Tara, Rosita," Daryl started, "This is Rick," he introduced him.

"Nice to meet you," Rick said, smiling at the Latina woman, Rosita, and the other, Tara.

"You too," Tara said, "I hear you've been enjoying our little town so far?" she asked, and Rosita wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Rosita hummed and met Rick's eyes, and she gave him a beautiful smile, "And that everyone quite likes you," she said.

Rick laughed softly and nodded, taking a sip of his drink before answering, "Yeah, it's been absolutely great, it was a really good decision to move out here," he answered, "And I quite like everyone around here too," he said, glancing at Daryl for a moment who smiled at him.

"Well, it's good you're enjoying it," Aaron said from beside him, petting his shoulder for a moment before sliding down in his seat so that he could rest his head on his husband's shoulder.

Rick hummed, and turned back to Tara and Rosita, "I heard the two of you are recently married. Congratulations," he said, giving them a broad smile.

They both smiled back, and then at each other, sharing a quick kiss, "Thank you," the pair said.

"So, Rick," Jesus said from his spot in the booth, Aaron still snuggled up against him and looking perfectly content. Rick hummed in question, and Jesus continued, "I wasn't aware that you were coming out with us until Daryl told us that you were leaving, so our apologies for taking you to a gay bar for your first group outing," he said, a smirk pulling on his plump lips beneath his beard.

Rick laughed, "Don't worry about it," he replied, taking a drink before continuing, "I've been in them before, and this one is a lot tamer than some of the ones in Atlanta,"

"Oh?" Tara said, looking very interested.

Rick looked to Daryl, found that he looked interested to.

"Well, yeah," Rick said, "I went after me, and my ex-wife split up. I'd known I was bisexual for about ten years, but me and Lori had been together since high school, and I was always faithful, so I didn't have the chance to explore that side of myself until after we split up," he explained, and his cheeks were a little flush, but he didn't necessarily feel uncomfortable.

Rosita smiled at him, "Similar situation to me," she said, "I realized that I was bi just before I got in a long-term relationship with a man; I met Tara a few weeks after we broke up, and four years later here we are,"

Rick had some more of his drink, "Well, I've only had a couple of hookups, no relationship," he said.

"We'll see though," Aaron said and playfully elbowed him in the side.

Rick snorted a laugh and shrugged, "Yeah, we'll see," he said.

"Does Carl know?" Jesus asked, "If you don't mind me asking of course,"

"No, he doesn't," Rick said with a sigh, "I don't know how to bring it up with him,"

"Do you think he'd care?" Daryl asked softly, having already drunk a good amount of his beer.

Rick shook his head, "No, I don't think he would," he said and turned to look at Aaron and Jesus, "You two are the first non-straight people that he's been around, and when I told him that the two of you were married, he was more interested in Gracie because he loves little kids, to be honest," he said, smiling at the thought of his son.

Everyone around the table chuckled.

"Well," Rosita said, "I think it'll be fine,"

Rick hummed and nodded, "I'll probably tell him if it comes up," he said.

"Whenever you're comfortable doin' it, man," Daryl said, relaxing back in his chair and smiling, "Ain't nobody else's choice but yours," he said, and Rick smiled gratefully. "I knew I was gay since I was a kid but didn't come out until I was in a serious relationship. It's different for everyone," he said, and a pretty red flush lit up his cheeks.

Rick immediately wondered if that relationship had contained the person that Daryl had said cheated on him after three years, and his stomach gave an excited little jump at learning Daryl was gay, and he almost rolled his eyes at himself.

"That's very true," he replied, and held Daryl's gaze for several moments before the other man's cheeks heated up, and he ducked his head.

The six of them remained in the booth for at least another two hours after that, taking turns in going to get refills and simply chatting and Rick was very much enjoying getting to know his new friends. He was forced to stand up from his seat after a while when Aaron and Jesus decided they wanted to have a dance, and Tara and Rosita quickly joined them; leaving Rick and Daryl alone.

The two of them didn't talk about anything all that important. Rick told some stories from back in high school, and Daryl some of his ranching experiences. They talked about the ranch and the work they were doing that Daryl was thinking about purchasing sheep and keeping a herd of them along with his cattle. Rick told Daryl that Carl had his first date tomorrow and was rotating between being ridiculously excited and absolutely terrified.

By the time Rick and Daryl got back to the ranch, Rick had had one of the best nights of his life, and he was taking the night as a good sign of what the rest of his time on the ranch would be like.

 

* * *

 

Rick sighed and leaned against his car as he waited for Carl. It was lunchtime the next day, and Rick was dropping Carl to the movies for his date with Enid. The teenager was still upstairs and getting ready, and if he didn't hurry, he was going to be late.

Daryl appeared from the storage shed moments later, carrying a bag of rabbit feed in his arms and Rick's eyes immediately drifted to where the man's biceps bulged with the effort.

"Hey," Daryl greeted him.

"Hi," Rick replied, tearing his gaze away from his arms and meeting his ocean blue eyes instead, "What are you up to?" he asked.

"I've got a little girl bringing over a bunch of rabbits, and there ain't enough feed in pen for them," he answered.

"What's the story behind that?" Rick asked, quirking a brow.

"This girl's bunny got out of its cage and had a romance with the neighbour's," he explained, smirking a little, "She was allowed to keep her favorite baby, but all the others had to go,"

"Sounds fair enough, to be honest, they'd start to inbreed when they got older if she kept them all," he said.

Daryl hummed and nodded, "Where're you off to?" he asked.

"Carl's got his date with Enid. Which he's going to be late for if he isn't careful," he replied.

Daryl chuckled, "Tell the kid that I tell him good luck," he said, before giving a small wave and heading off towards the rabbit/guinea pig pen.

Rick watched him go, his eyes roaming all over the man's body, from the broadness of his shoulders to the fact that his ass seemed a little plump beneath his jeans. He really wanted to get his hands on him, he could only imagine how great it would be.

In reality, he had no idea how good it would be, Rick had only sex with a handful of men, and just a couple involved penetration, he didn't know if he could be any good for Daryl. He knew that he'd try his best though and that he was very willing to learn.

"Hey, you ready?" Carl suddenly asked, having appeared beside the car from inside the barn.

Rick nodded and got into the car, and Carl immediately did the same, "Yes, let's go," he replied and started up the car, petting Carl's knee when he saw just how nervous he appeared to be. "You'll be fine," he said as he drove over the cattle gate and out of the main homestead of the ranch.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long gap between an update x

Rick had just placed the last bag of feed into the back of his truck (Well, technically it was the ranch's truck and was shared between the employees, but he was the one currently using it) when his phone began to ring and buzz from where it was tucked into the back pocket of his jeans.

He reached for it, and dug it out of the denim pocket, grunting in annoyance when the angle caused it to get stuck. He brought the phone screen into his line of vision and found Daryl's contact name lighting up the glass screen. He slid the bar across and lifted it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said, wondering what the man needed as he'd seen him only an hour earlier when he left the ranch to head into town and collect the order that Daryl had placed at the produce store.

"Hey, Rick," Daryl greeted him, and Rick loved the sound of his thick southern accent combined with the slight distortion of the phone.

"What's up?" Rick asked, leaning against the side of the truck and looking out at the street in front of him, waving at Glenn who was walking down the other side with Hershel Jr, if he remembers correctly, Maggie had told him that the child had a dentist appointment.

"Are you still at the produce store?" Daryl asked, and Rick could hear a little background noise on the other line.

"I was just about to leave," Rick replied.

"I need you to go back in for me," Daryl told him, "The vet's bringing over a foal from one of the ranches in the area, its mother rejected it, and it needs to be hand raised. Hershel's had it at his clinic for the past week, so he could monitor it and give it the proper colostrum milk that it needed for the first week, but now it just needs normal formula, and I don't have of that here at the moment. So, just ask one of the assistants to show you the foal formula, and buy the best one,"

Rick listened intently, "Poor thing," he said, locking his car and already making his way back to the produce store. Daryl had given him a card that was to be used for ranch related purchases only, so Rick had money when he had to run errands for the ranch. "When is it getting to the ranch?" he asked, stepping inside of the store.

"Should be getting here within the next hour or so, I'm setting up a stall for it in the barn now," Daryl replied.

"Okay, well I'll be back soon to help out, I'll just get this and then I'll be back," Rick told the man.

"See ya," Daryl replied, and then the line went dead.

Rick did as he was told and found a store assistant who led him to the best brand of foal formula, and he carried it back to the truck and sweat dripped down his back with the effort of it.

 

* * *

 

Rick arrived back at the farm half an hour later. As he got out of the truck, there was no sign of an unfamiliar car, so he came to the conclusion that the vet was yet to arrive.

He made his way to the back of the truck and lifted out the bag of foal formula; deciding that the rest of the feed and products could wait until later. He grunted as he got a good grip on the heavy bag, and once he was sure that he wasn't going to drop it, he began to approach the open barn doors.

Walking into the barn, he quickly noticed a stall with its door left open and made his way to it. He found Daryl inside, standing on a chair and he appeared to be fastening a camera to one of the bars that separated the stalls.

"What are you doing?" Rick asked, placing the bag down on the ground and resting his hands on his hips.

Daryl turned to look at him, and gave him a quick smile, "Setting up a camera that so that I can monitor the foal from my phone and my office back in the house," Daryl replied, finishing up the camera and then climbing off the stair.

"Oh, yeah, I've seen those in the stables," Rick replied.

Daryl hummed and grabbed the chair, stepping around Rick to carry it out of the stall, "There are some real' expensive horses in there. Keep on an eye on 'em if they get sick, and to see if anyone breaks in," he told him.

Rick raised a brow, "Has that happened before?" he asked.

"Once," Daryl replied, squatting down and reading the bag of formula, "Some guy really liked the racer I was working with; a prize thoroughbred stallion, worth hundreds of thousands. I saw the video and went out and caught him just as he was tryin' to lead him out of the stall,"

Rick's brows raised, "Damn. You got horses in there now worth that much?" he asked.

Daryl shrugged, standing back up, "Kind of. You know the pregnant warmblood? Yeah, well her foal has great bloodlines from very successful showjumpers, so he'll be worth quite a bit when he's born,"

Rick nodded, "He yours to keep when he's born?"

"Yeah, I paid for the insemination," Daryl informed him, "Hopefully everything goes well, it'd be a shame to waste all that money," he said.

Rick chuckled softly, and the sound of a car pulling up could be heard, and the two of them began walking towards the exit of the barn.

A soft breeze greeted them one they were outside, and Rick's eyes immediately fell on the old red truck that an old man was climbing out of.

"Hey, Hershel," Daryl called as the two of them made their way over, and the two shook hands, "This is Rick, the new ranch hand. Rick, this is Hershel our vet and Maggie's dad," he introduced the two of them.

Rick smiled at the old man and held his hand out, "Good to meet you," he said, and they shook hands, before Daryl's attention turned to the float attached to the back of the truck.

"Did she travel okay?" Daryl asked as he made his way to the back of it, and both Rick and Hershel followed.

Hershel nodded, and he and Daryl began unlatching the gate, "No problems at all. She'll be getting pretty hungry soon, did you get formula?"

"I got it earlier," Rick told him and stood out of the way when the two men lowered the tale gait down.

"Great," Hershel replied, grinning at him, his eyes seeming just full of wisdom, "Well, Daryl, you've raised foals plenty of times before. The two of you will be fine," he said.

Daryl hummed and stepped into the float, "Hey sweetheart," he greeted the small foal, and Rick immediately smiled at the man's soft words.

The foal had its butt to them, and after untying it and removing the tail bar, Daryl backed it out of the float and onto the grass.

"Wow, she's gorgeous," Rick said as he admired the creature, it had a sweet looking face and a dark bay coat.

"She is," Daryl immediately agreed, stroking the foal's neck as it looked around at its new surroundings curiously, whinnying and nickering at the other horses that she could see.

Rick took a step towards her and gently stroked down her face, and she attempted to nibble at his fingers, "She got a name?" he asked Hershel, found the man smiling softly at the both of them.

"No, I figured I'd leave that up to Daryl," he replied, and slapped the man on the shoulder, "Anyways, I have another ranch I need to get to, so I'll see you two later, and good luck,"

Rick smiled at him, "See you," he said, still fascinated with the foal in front of him.

Daryl snorted at him, "Thanks, Hershel," he called to the old man and then began leading the foal in the direction of the barn, and Rick eagerly followed behind him.

The foal trotted along eagerly beside Daryl, tugging in the lead and trying to run ahead, "Looks like someone needs to learn some manners," Rick chuckled as they stepped into the barn, and the foal let out an excited buck and attempted to begin trotting again.

Daryl laughed, "Yes, she does," he said as he pulled the foal back to a walk again, "We'll get her settled and give her a groom then see if she'll take a bottle," Daryl said as they walked down the aisle.

Rick nodded in agreement and walked ahead to open the stall door, and Daryl led the foal through it. The animal immediately began sniffing at the bedding on the floor and the water bucket, snorting excitedly and tugging on the lead.

"I'll go get a grooming kit," Rick said and headed towards the tack room. He grabbed one of the boxes on the shelf and then made his way back out to the foal.

He entered the stall again and found that Daryl had tied up the foal and was now stroking down its legs.

"She'll be a good horse when she's old enough to be broken," Daryl said.

Rick hummed, "What breed is she?" he asked as he sat the grooming kit down on the floor.

Daryl collected a body brush from the kit and began to run it over the foal's coat, "A Hanoverian. Good for most English work, especially eventing; they've got the stamina for it,"

"Have you ever done eventing?" Rick asked, using a comb to pull at the small tangles on the foal's short mane.

"I've done most things,"

"Competed?" Rick asked curiously, grinning when the foal began sniffling at his thigh and gave it a nibble.

"Haven't for years, but yeah I used to. Now I train horses, and hire people to compete on them for me," he explained.

"And you get to relax here in paradise,"

Daryl laughed softly, "Yeah, something like that,"

The two continued to chat and groom the foal for the next few minutes, and both of their attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps against the concrete floor of the barn.

"Hey," Carl greeted them when he arrived at the stall, "Who's this?" he asked, grinning at the sight of the foal.

"A foal we're hand raising," Rick replied, "How was school?" he asked, not realizing how fast the day had gone.

Carl shrugged, "Boring as ever. Tell me, when can I drop out?" he asked.

Rick chuckled, "You will graduate high school, but you don't have to go to college if you don't want to," he answered.

Carl groaned in annoyance, and Daryl chuckled, "Hey, I never graduated high school, and I own millions of dollars in this ranch and the livestock on it," he said, waggling his eyebrows playfully at Rick.

Carl grinned at the both of them, "See? I'll start up my own ranch, become your biggest competitor, Daryl," he joked.

Daryl laughed and reached over to ruffle Carl's hair, and it made Rick feel unbelievably fond of both of them.

"I'm sure you will kid," Daryl replied.

Carl's attention turned back to the foal, "So, did her mom die?" he asked.

"Abandoned her," Daryl replied, "And I've got a proposal for you," he said.

Rick turned to Daryl and raised a brow curiously, watching as the man grinned at his son.

"Yeah?" Carl asked.

"Me and your dad already have too much to do. How would you feel about being the one to bottle feed her?" he asked, "You'd have to do it between six and seven in the morning, and then again, a bit after you get home from school. I'd pay you for it,"

Carl chewed at his cheek and then stepped into the stall, and he carefully stroked his hand down the foal's neck, "What's her name?" he asked.

Daryl grinned, "Well, I think that should be your responsibility too," he said.

Carl was quiet for a moment, "How much would I get paid?"

Rick snorted and leaned back against the stable wall, folding his arms over his chest. Daryl looked to him, and Rick shrugged.

"Fifty bucks a week," Daryl said.

Carl smirked and turned around. He held out his hand for Daryl, "Deal," he said.

Daryl chuckled and shook his hand, "Come on, I'll show you how to make up a bottle," he said.

Rick smiled as he watched the two walks out of the stall and into the feed room, and he finished up grooming the foal while he waited for them. They returned a few moments later, Carl holding the two-liter bottle in his hand, attaching the red nipple to it.

"You're lucky kid, she already knows how to bottle feed. It can be a pain the ass to get them to latch on, and then it's painful to watch 'em be hungry," Daryl told Carl as the two stepped into the stall.

"How does she already know?" Carl asked as Rick untied the foal.

"She spent a week with the vet," Rick replied and turned the foal around, grinning when she immediately started walking towards the bottle.

Daryl adjusted the bottle in Carl's grip, "You've got to hold it upwards, with the nipple down, keep it at this angle to make sure she isn't sucking in air. If she acts hungry after she's finished, don't worry, she isn't. Foals, like calves, will completely gorge themselves on food to the point where they get sick. Their mothers know when to push them off, so you're like her mother now, and it's your job to do that," Daryl explained.

Rick watched as Daryl carefully directed the foal's mouth to the bottle as he talked to Carl, and Rick smiled when the foal latched on and began to suckle. Daryl stepped away and leaned against the wall beside Rick, he patted Rick on the shoulder and gave him a smile. Rick smiled back and then turned his attention to Carl.

Carl met his eyes and grinned at him for a second before looking at the foal again, "She's so cute," he said softly.

Rick laughed, "Thought of a name?" he asked.

Carl was quiet for a moment, the only sound being the soft suckling noises of the foal drinking from the bottle, "Have you got one called Morgan?" he asked, looking at Daryl, and Daryl shook his head, "I like Morgan then,"

"Good choice," Daryl said softly, and Rick hummed in agreement.

"The best thing is, think how much Enid would love that you're raising a foal?" Rick said, and both he Daryl laughed when Carl blushed and glared at them.

The three remained in the stables for the next fifteen minutes while the foal finished her bottle, chatting softly between each other and exchanging smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments give me the motivation to write! Xx


End file.
